As companies amass growing amounts of data and cyber criminals become more skilled, the demand for IT security professionals in Canada is rising.
Sam Bourgi, senior analyst at the Information and Communications Technology Council, told IT World Canada that around 30 per cent of IT employers in the Canada are having difficulty hiring IT workers.
“Based on the primary research we’re conducting with the industry, there seems to be a pervasive shortage of cybersecurity professionals,” he said.
Bourgi also mentioned that the demand is even higher in recent years because growing IT trends, such as cloud and mobile computing, require a new and complex set of technical skills.
Faced with the growing need for skilled IT security professionals, universities are looking to expand their degree offerings. Earlier this month, the York University School of Continuing Studies announced that this November it will introduce a comprehensive cybersecurity certificate program – the first of its kind in Ontario.
The program will be designed in compliance with the Certified Information Systems Security Professional Common Body of Knowledge, a standard maintained by the not-for-profit International Information System Security Certification Consortium, Inc.