Security firm Palo Alto Networks has collaborated with Asia Pacific College (APC) to launch the first cybersecurity academy in the Philippines.
The program is designed to nurture the next generation of the cybersecurity workforce in the Philippines. Starting from February 2020, APC will roll out new cybersecurity courses under the academy curriculum to students across all disciplines.
In addition to the School of Computing and Information Technologies, students from the School of Management, School of Multimedia and Arts, and School of Engineering will also have the opportunity to enrol in cybersecurity-related courses.
The courses will provide classroom instruction, as well as technical and hands-on lab training in the newly built laboratory known as “APC Cybersecurity Sandbox, secured by Palo Alto Networks”.
Students will go through courses on the cybersecurity landscape and learn how to combat threats. Upon completing the four-year course, each student will be eligible as either a Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate or Certified Network Security Administrator.
“The vision of APC is to develop talent who have the skills and mindset to take on any challenge in any environment – in both the local as well as international market,” said Dr. Tata Medado, president of Asia Pacific College.
“With the shortage of cybersecurity professionals being a global challenge, we recognize the importance of cybersecurity education as a fundamental skill that must be learned and applied in various aspects of our daily lives, early on. It is a great honor to be Palo Alto Networks pioneering Cybersecurity Academy in the Philippines, and we look forward to building on this mutually rewarding relationship for many years to come.”
Oscar Visaya, country manager for the Philippines at Palo Alto Networks, said: “To protect our increasingly digital way of life in the Philippines, we need to ensure that there’s a sufficient pool of cybersecurity talent available. We are committed to addressing the talent shortage challenge through this academic partnership and hope that this is the beginning of many more partnerships in the near future.”
The course will focus on cybersecurity gateway, infrastructure configuration, and defense and countermeasures. Palo Alto Networks has forged similar academic partnerships with colleges and universities in more than 40 countries in the US, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific.
