Cybersecurity solutions Fortinet has partnered with Don Bosco Technical College to offer cybersecurity training and certification under the Fortinet Network Security Academy (FNSA) program.

The FNSA, which is part of Fortinet’s Network Security Expert (NSE) Institute, provides cybersecurity training and certification curricula for high schools, colleges, and universities with the mission to prepare the future workforce with cybersecurity skills sought after by employers.

“Through the FNSA program, we aim to make a difference, and we hope to partner with other educational institutions in the country to extend this program to more young talents,” said Louie Castañeda, country manager, Fortinet Philippines.

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The Don Bosco Technological College (DBTC) in Mandaluyong City will leverage Fortinet’s comprehensive network security platform to run courses about modern network administration and security. The college will provide Fortinet’s Network Security Expert (NSE) training and certification opportunities to participants to help prepare students for a career in network security, obtaining both theoretical lectures and hands-on laboratory practice during the course.

“The FNSA curriculum is aligned with our goal of gearing up future IT and cybersecurity leaders in the Philippines. With this partnership, our graduates will be equipped not only to protect organizations from cyber-attacks but also lead in the country’s digital transformation efforts,” said Fr. Vitaliano Dimaranan, SDB, president, Don Bosco Technical College-Mandaluyong.

The FNSA program is available at 150 academies in more than 60 different countries. In the Philippines, DBTC is the second institution to partner with Fortinet for the FNSA program.

The ITE-FNSA program will complement the current Cyber and Network Security course in DBTC. Students will learn how to design and configure secure enterprise networks with next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), email, and anti-malware security technologies.

The ITE-FNSA program will be offered to students starting next school year.

Cyberdefense Workforce

According to a recent workforce development survey, 59% of organizations have unfilled cybersecurity positions, with Frost & Sullivan forecasting a shortfall of 1.5 million by 2020. As the cybersecurity skills gap continues to widen, it is creating what some now consider to be one of the top cybersecurity risks for many organizations. This critical shortage in the cybersecurity workforce has resulted in security operations teams who are overworked and understaffed, which can often result in either neglecting to adhere to cybersecurity best practices or careless errors in caring for network and security resources.

Aside from training students and the next-generation workforce, cybersecurity is a viable career option for those looking to change careers or those reentering the workforce after an absence.

Employers can invest in their own employees who already have technical skills and backgrounds by providing them with cybersecurity-specific training and continuing education through courses with the FNSA program. By enrolling members of their IT teams in this, organizations can help fill security talent shortages from within their own employee pool.

By expanding the availability of the Network Security Academy program across the world, Fortinet is empowering emerging security professionals to address the skills shortage and continue to help close the skills gap.