Australian Cyber Week

30 October 2020

The ICT Gateway to Industry Schools program joined forces with AustCyber to create a series of resources and events to acknowledge Australian Cyber Week and the need for citizens and businesses to get serious about Cyber Security.

Cyber Security is becoming more important each day, as the world transitions to an ever-increasing digital economy. As we become more reliant on technology and the internet, criminals become more sophisticated in the way they try to access our data.

‘As advancing technologies and smart devices become more widely available, and the more society adopts digital alternatives, the more important it is for sensitive data to be protected.’ (Careers in Cyber Security)

Australian Cyber Week was held from the 26^th to 30^th of October. The event is aimed at Cyber Security Professionals and post-secondary students and is curated by AustCyber, the Australian Cyber Security Growth Network. In conjunction with the ACS Foundation and AustCyber, the ICT Gateway to Industry Schools program produced a number of resources for schools, teachers and students to enjoy throughout the week.

On Wednesday 28 October, the third and final Virtual BiG Day In Queensland Edition featured two of the state’s experienced Cyber Security leaders. Heinrich Viljoen from Youi Insurance answered the question ‘Why Is Cyber Security a "Thing"’, highlighting the types of hackers that steal data and the types of data breaches that have occurred from such companies as Facebook, Microsoft and Nintendo.

(Westpac’s Shazin Shohani breaks down career opportunities in the Cyber Security industry)

Shazin Sohani from Westpac enlightened the audience with a 'Cyber Security - Career Pathways' presentation, outlining her own pathway to the Cyber Security industry and breaking down study and career options for future Cyber Security specialists. It is clear that a career in Cyber Security is interesting, rewarding and exciting, and in order to enter the field students do not necessarily need to be computer programmers.

Ryan Catholic College, an ICT Gateway to Industry School program Foundation School, created an outstanding library display to celebrate Australian Cyber Week, and held a viewing session for students to watch the Virtual BiG Day In.

(Australian Cyber Week Library Display curated by Lorraine Cusens and Ryan Catholic College)

Lorraine Cusens, Business, Digital Technology and Business Curriculum Leader and Program Leader: eLearning, said that the school recognises the career opportunities for students in the Cyber Security space. “A career in Cyber Security can be very exciting and caters for students who love to apply their technical skills or those who enjoy creative and analytical thinking and problem solving. These careers pay very well, and the industry in Australia needs more suitable employees. We look forward to engaging with more industry experts and activities related to Cyber Security through the ICT Gateway to Industry Schools program.”

The recorded sessions can be accessed by students and teachers by going to the ACS Foundations’ BiG Day In Past Events Page (https://www.thebigdayin.com.au/past-events).

Cyber Security games and informational videos were also produced with leading Cyber Security companies and educators and made available to schools within the ICT Gateway to Industry Schools program. Bruce Fuda, Computing Education Specialist at the Australian Computing Academy and Project Lead on the Schools Cyber Security Challenges Project worked closely with the ICT GISP to create an interactive Cyber Security Game based on the existing popular card game and teaching resource.

Teachers can access the game from the Australian Computing Academy (https://aca.edu.au/resources/cyber-sharing-interactive/).

Another interactive game based on Personal Cyber Security was created with oversight from Mark Hamilton of the Sunshine Coast AustCyber node. Peter Maynard from CyberMetrix presented a video outlining the need to engage Two Factor Authentication when using online portals, and Chelsey Costello from the Talenza recruitment company outlined her advice on forging a career in Cyber Security.

This Gateway to Industry Schools program is proudly supported and funded by the Queensland Government.