London, U.K., 06 September, 2012 – (ISC)²® (“ISC-squared”), the world’s largest information security professional body and administrators of the CISSP®, today announced an Academic Affiliate Agreement with WMG at the University of Warwick to support the entry of its MSc in Cyber Security and Management graduates into the workforce. This agreement offers a specially devised, three-day (ISC)² CISSP Compact course and the opportunity for WMG students to become Associate members of (ISC)² and network with the organisation’s 4,000-strong professional community, the largest of its kind in the nation.
“WMG is proud to have become an (ISC)² Academic Affiliate. This allows our students to gain a certification that provides a breadth of requisite underpinnings in the cyber security domain,” says Harjinder Singh Lallie, senior teaching fellow, Cyber Security, at WMG. “WMG’s goal is to be recognised nationally and internationally for offering one of the top cyber security courses available and one that expressly meets the needs of industry. We consider the CISSP certification to be the most highly sought-after in cyber security. It carries international recognition and significance and provides our students with an excellent advantage when seeking employment in this domain.”
WMG, renowned for its world class education programmes and courses in the UK and abroad, is an academic department of the University of Warwick and one of the world’s leading research groups. Collectively across disciplines, WMG is one of the largest MSc departments in the country, with close to 700 enrolled students. The MSc in Cyber Security and Management programme’s enrollment is split between undergraduate students wanting to pursue a Master’s course in the discipline and working students with experience who are looking for career advancement in the profession. WMG reviewed several industry certifications prior to selecting the (ISC)² CISSP Compact course.
Open to academic institutions globally, the (ISC)² CISSP Compact is a specially devised, three-day, instructor-led CISSP certification course. (ISC)² developed the CISSP Compact and Associate programme as part of (ISC)²’s commitment to work with academia to attract and develop the next generation of professionals and improve security standards through education. As administrator of the CISSP and with a member base of over 87,000 certified professionals globally, (ISC)² has visibility and access to the most current knowledge in information security practice. While its professional certifications require a track record of experience, (ISC)² recognises a responsibility to share its knowledgebase and support the development of talent to meet the needs of the future. The 2011 (ISC)² Global Information Security Workforce Study, conducted by Frost and Sullivan, estimates the population of infosecurity professionals is expected to increase from 617,000 in EMEA in 2010 to nearly 1.15 million by 2015.
“It is heartening to see that WMG is committed to supporting its graduates as they move into the working world, and in particular to helping young people discover a career in the growing field of information security. Young people – even young IT students – are largely unaware of the potential for a career in the field, which is restricting the entry of new talent and contributing to a rising skills gap as the existing workforce ages,” comments John Colley, CISSP, managing director, EMEA for (ISC)². “As a professional organisation, we are committed to working with academic institutions to increase interest in and support the entry of more people into information security, while also ensuring they get the support they need to become productive despite a lack of practical experience.”
Through WMG, the University of Warwick becomes the second university in the UK to support its MSc programme graduates with an (ISC)² certification programme, following Royal Holloway College at the University of London. Upon graduation, students are armed with both academic credentials and Associate of (ISC)² status. The CISSP credential serves as evidence to employers of students’ knowledge across the breadth of 10 information security domains covering critical topics including cloud computing, mobile security, application security, risk management and more. Typically, interested information security professionals sit for the CISSP certification exam after gaining a minimum of five years of working experience. (ISC)² also supports the academic community with textbooks, hands-on labs and courses based on its Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP®) certification.
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