TESDA to IT schools: offer courses on cybersecurity

January 29, 2024

More Filipino workers should be honing their information and communications technology (ICT) skills particularly when it comes to cybersecurity, according to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Secretary/Director General Suharto T. Mangudadatu, Ph.D.

In a statement, Secretary Mangudadatu said that cybersecurity threats and data breaches are on the rise, impacting businesses, governments, and individuals alike, hence, Filipinos need to be capacitated through appropriate IT training to encourage their cyber resilience.

“Such programs will result in greater opportunities for Filipino workers and a strengthened workforce that can help secure our country against cyberattacks," the Secretary pointed out.

In this regard, TESDA has rolled out its new Competency Standards (CS) for training programs on cybersecurity: Cyber Threat Monitoring Level I and Cyber Threat Mitigation Level II. Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu has likewise signed the implementing guidelines on the deployment of training programs for these standards.

"We encourage the country's schools and training centers to use these new cybersecurity standards as the bases for their training programs' curriculum. They may also approach the nearest TESDA office in their areas for more information and to register their respective training programs,” added the Secretary.

The development of the said CS aims to respond to the industry skills requirements for cybersecurity professionals to produce competent individuals equipped with 21st-century skills and compliant with the existing industry standards and practices.

The Cyber Threat Mitigation Level I and Level II Cyber Threat Monitoring Level I and Cyber Threat Mitigation Level II training programs were developed with technical experts from Cyber Security Philippines — CERT, Bankers Institute of the Philippines, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Mandiant, Dansal Solutions, and AFP Cyber Command Group.

Graduates of the said training are competent to be cybersecurity support staff, cybersecurity help desk staff, cyber threat analysts, and cyber defense analysts, among others.