IBM provides free cyber security training to military veterans

It is quite difficult to recruit cyber security personnel and to know how the skills needed for the role have changed. IBM came up with a new initiative, it now teams up with ex-forces employment specialist specialist SaluteMyJob and non-profit education body the Corsham Institute to offer a free cyber security training course for military veterans.

The IBM security Certification and analytics solutions teaches cyber security software skills to former and transitioning military personnel, and 100 veterans are expected to complete the course by 8th September.  The company’s initiative is part of a wider Veterans Employment Accelerator grant program in the US, Canada and now the UK.

"At IBM we recognize the value and skillset veterans can bring. IBM employs hundreds of veteran personnel in a range of roles," says Julian Meyrick, vice president at IBM Security Europe. "As I can attest from my own service in the British Army, many of the skills and experiences acquired working in the operations center of a warship, military unit or Royal Air Force (RAF) station are very relevant to the skills needed to deal with the types of incidents we encounter in cyber security daily. It makes perfect business sense to hire veterans into roles from threat monitoring analyst to penetration tester, security operations center (SOC) analyst and cyber operations manager; they come with relevant soft skills that are often difficult to interview for. With the right training and investment, hiring veterans can help with the huge challenge of closing the cyber security skills gap."