Education and career path

A career in cybersecurity can be incredibly rewarding, offering opportunities to protect digital information, tackle cyber threats, and make a significant impact on the protection of the European and global cyberspace.

However, despite the increase in programmes and students in cybersecurity, there is still a shortage of hundreds of thousands of skilled cybersecurity professionals in Europe. This skills’ gap impacts organisations' ability to protect their information and systems from cyber threats.

ENISA's Executive Director Juhan Lepassaar said: "The future security of our digital world will heavily depend on our capacity to develop an efficient & adequate cybersecurity workforce.

ENISA is actively working to address the cybersecurity skills gap through several initiatives:

• European Cybersecurity Skills Framework: This framework provides a common understanding of the skills required for different cybersecurity roles, helping to standardise education and training across Europe.
• European Cyber Security Challenge (ECSC): An annual competition that brings together young cybersecurity talents from across Europe to compete and showcase their skills.
• International Cybersecurity Challenge (ICC): A global competition aimed at encouraging the development of cybersecurity skills and fostering international collaboration.
• Awareness and Training Programmes: ENISA conducts numerous training sessions, workshops, and webinars to help professionals and organisations enhance their cybersecurity skills.

Interested in participating in the European or International cybersecurity challenge? Visit the respective website to find your country’s representative and contact them directly!