Findings from leading automated cybersecurity solutions, Fortinet, in its Cybersecurity Workforce study, indicate that 68 per cent of organisations struggle to recruit, hire and retain cybersecurity talent.

In addressing this critical shortfall, the Trust for the Americas, a non-profit organisation affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS), has partnered with Fortinet, to reduce the gap of trained professionals in the cybersecurity industry in Latin America and the Caribbean, by offering network security expert (NSE) courses at the Trust’s DIA Innovation Labs.

The alliance will provide DIA Lab participants with training in four key areas: AI-Driven Security Operations, Dynamic Cloud Security, Security Driven Networking, and Zero Trust Network Access.

The NSE Training Institute Certification programme is an eight-level certification course that includes a wide range of courses, as well as practical, experiential exercises that demonstrate mastery of complex network security concepts.

Rodrigo Iriani, manager for the Democratizing Innovation in the Americas programme (DIA) at The Trust for the Americas explained, “These partnerships are part of our programme’s DNA. We are certain Fortinet’s expertise will advance our curricula and provide DIA Lab participants with new and unique tools, crucial to foster the creation of economic opportunities to improve their quality of life and to support their communities.”

Pedro Paixao, CEO and VP of Fortinet for Latin America stated: “As leaders in cybersecurity in the region, we are committed to offering training that allows closing the skill gap in our industry and helping the market have the qualified professionals it needs. We are very excited to add the Trust for the Americas to our global programme that today has more than 75 affiliated educational institutions in the region.”

The DIA Innovation Labs create a unique environment that nurtures innovation and entrepreneurship while providing development opportunities to young people in the region. Through access to technology, collaborative spaces, training, and competitive seed funds, Caribbean youth learns tools to develop their business ideas or promote social projects that tackle local challenges.

The DIA Labs are currently run in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago. Next year, labs in the Dominican Republic and Belize will start operations.

The Fortinet Network Security Academy (FNSA) program aims to provide cybersecurity certification to students from organizations, colleges and universities around the world so that they can successfully enter the job market. Upon completion of the FNSA program, DIA Lab participants will have industry-leading knowledge backed by a recognized international professional certification as an important career differential.

Since 2017, DIA Innovation Labs have impacted over 2,750 people in the Caribbean through awareness and training processes.

With its support, more than 165 young people have undertaken initiatives, developed apps and/or businesses that benefited their communities, and over 100 participants have received funding to start and strengthen their projects or ventures.

Those interested in attending the DIA Innovation Labs can contact the DIA team through [email protected].