Unitec Becomes First Member Of Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy In New Zealand

Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) is the first member to join the New Zealand arm of the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy, which has been set up to provide technology and resources to help equip students with the next-generation cybersecurity knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in today’s rapidly changing cyber-threat landscape.

At a global level, 70% of cybersecurity professionals claim that their organisation is impacted by the cybersecurity skills shortage, which is showing a general lack of improvement in recent years and reflects an increasing workload on existing cybersecurity staff, long-standing open jobs, an increase in hiring and training junior personnel, and an inability to learn or utilise security technologies to their full potential.

“The cybersecurity challenges posed by today’s digital society mean we have an ever-increasing need for advanced skills in this area. Teaming up with Unitec will help develop the next generation of cybersecurity talent and bridge the skills gap in New Zealand. At Palo Alto Networks, our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We hope this initiative helps enable cybersecurity enthusiasts to continue studying, learning and expanding their knowledge, contributing towards a future career,” says Misti Landtroop, managing director for Palo Alto Networks New Zealand.

The Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy provides students with the knowledge and skills to be prepared for a successful career in cybersecurity. It offers faculty training, hands-on labs, modularised curricula and virtual firewalls for use in Unitec's New Zealand’s Diploma in Cybersecurity (Level 6), and will supply content for micro credential courses that will upskill and reskill full time workers through a series of short courses.

In addition, upon completing the course, each student will be eligible as either a Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Entry-Level Technician or a Certified Network Security Administrator.

“As the workforce grapples with immense change this year, Unitec remains heavily focused on strategic industry collaborations that equip our students with the most up-to-date real-world intelligence, as well as the hardware and tools to support knowledge development,” says Dila Beisembayeva, Lead of Unitec’s Centre for Digital Innovation and Skills.

“We’re honoured to be the first educational institute to join the Academy and look forward to the benefits it can provide to students throughout the network of ITP subsidiaries.”

Since Palo Alto Networks launched the Cybersecurity Academy program in 2014, it has grown to include more than 1,100 partner institutions in over 70 countries worldwide.

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About Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy

Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy is an endeavour by Palo Alto Networks to work with degree-granting, nationally accredited secondary or post-secondary academic institutions interested in teaching the company’s next-generation technology to their students. The Cybersecurity Academy works with academic institutions and instructors to prepare students for exciting careers in the rapidly growing areas of cloud, network, and infrastructure security.

The collaboration with Unitec will also help students connect to supplementary Palo Alto Networks certifications that follow Unitec courses, including PCCET, PCNSA, and PCNSE.

Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

About Unitec

Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) is part of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology; New Zealand’s largest tertiary education provider and is a leader in adopting modern teaching and training approaches to prepare its students for success in the jobs of the future. Unitec offers employment focused education, from certificates through to Masters, across a wide range of professional and vocational areas. It also partners with major business and service organisations to align its vocational learning closely to industry needs.

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