Cyber training boost for sector

The joint initiative between the philanthropic arm of global IT infrastructure company Kyndryl and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) aims to train 1,400 people working in the sector over the next two years.

The new program comes as cyber security looms as a major concern for charities and NFPs amid recent high-profile data breaches.

The cyber training program was developed in consultation with NFP organisations and industry experts.

It seeks to address critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities within sector organisations, which often hold large amounts of sensitive data yet lack resources for robust cyber training.

The Infoxchange Digital Technology in the Not-for-Profit Sector Report for 2024 revealed that despite the growing danger posed by cybercrime, only one in five organisations regularly conducted cyber security awareness training for staff and volunteers.

The report also found just one in three NFPs had effective processes in place to manage information security risks.

Such is the demand for cyber security training in the sector, the UTS cyber resilience program pilot, which was predicted to have an initial intake of 90 trainees, was oversubscribed by 340 per cent.

Following the successful completion of the pilot, which provided fully funded training to 397 participants, the program is now open to the public.

The program comprises four non-technical short courses covering:

• cybersecurity foundations
• data privacy
• secure data handling
• cybersecurity for company directors

There is also an option to complete training in cyber threat detection and response.

The University of Technology Sydney along with organisations in Poland, Japan and Czechia were awarded grants in March 2024 under a program designed to increase sector cyber security skills.

At the time the grants were announced, the Kryndyl Foundation said the organisations were chosen because of their efforts to address the shortage of trained cybersecurity professionals.

The dean of the UTS Faculty of Engineering and IT, Peta Wyeth, said the support from the Kyndryl Foundation had enabled UTS to address the growing demand for online and face-to-face cyber resilience training and related education.

“UTS is proud to be providing a service that helps not-for-profit organisations and the communities they serve through training that addresses head-on the growth in cybercrime that is targeting small enterprises, which are vulnerable to cyber-attacks,” she said.

The social impact leader at Kyndryl Australia, Erandhi Mendis, said cyber resilience shouldn’t be a privilege.

“We are seeing a clear, strong demand for accessible cybersecurity education within the not-for-profit sector over the past year,” he said.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with UTS to support broader systemic improvements in Australia’s digital safety landscape, and a more inclusive cybersecurity workforce.”

More information

NFPs struggle to manage cyber security risk: report

Mass charities data breach prompts warnings about outsourcing fundraising