Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), a global, not-for-profit organization that matches skilled refugees with companies in need of their skills, and Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, Ryerson University’s national centre for innovation and collaboration in cybersecurity, announced the first-ever pilot program to offer remote cybersecurity training to displaced talent. This collaboration addresses both the shortage of talent in the Information Security (IS) sector and the challenges faced by refugees seeking to access international employment.

This collaboration provides an impactful upskilling opportunity to refugees, allowing them to differentiate themselves, obtain international employment in their field, and move to secure their futures. Additionally, it provides Canadian employers in need of cybersecurity talent with the opportunity to solve their hiring needs, increase diversity in their workforce, and help address a growing humanitarian crisis.

Talent Beyond Boundaries helps employers recruit from a pool of displaced individuals, augmenting their recruitment efforts by giving them access to previously untapped talent. TBB has approximately 40,000 skilled refugees currently looking for opportunities – and works to unlock skilled migration pathways into positions around the globe.

“Many refugees have marketable skills yet find themselves in countries where they don't have the right to work locally and are locked out of international skilled migration systems,” said Patrick O’Leary, Global Program Director, Talent Beyond Boundaries. “We’re creating safe, legal pathways that enable displaced people to relocate for work, resume their careers, and rebuild their lives with dignity.”

“Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst has a reputation for supporting newcomers entering the cybersecurity sector in Canada. Our program, which provides advanced technical training, industry-recognized GIAC certifications, and connections to jobs in cybersecurity, will be a great resource to skilled refugees in the Information Security sector who are looking to immigrate to Canada,” said Rushmi Hasham, Director, Accelerated Cybersecurity Training Program of Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. “We are pleased to extend this program to candidates in Talent Beyond Boundaries’ talent pool.”

This pilot program provides refugees, already skilled in information security, access to the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst Accelerated Cybersecurity Training Program. This intensive training and certification program is designed to give promising learners from diverse backgrounds the skills they need to launch careers in the cybersecurity sector. Over the course of the program, successful learners will earn three certifications from GIAC (Global Information Assurance Certification): GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT), GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC), and GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH). The seats for this pilot were generously donated by the SANS Institute (SANS), the global leader in cybersecurity training and certifications.

“Information security roles are ever evolving. This program allows our candidates to stay up-to-date on emerging trends and showcase their potential to solve to Canadian employers’ cybersecurity needs,” said Katherine Orr, Business Development and Operations Manager, Talent Beyond Boundaries. “We value our partnerships with leading tech organizations in Canada, such as Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and TECHNATION Canada, that support our efforts to bring displaced talent to Canada.”

Organizations interested in hiring displaced talent into their workplace are encouraged to contact Talent Beyond Boundaries.  To learn more about the Accelerated Cybersecurity Training Program, please contact Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. To learn more about the SANS Institute, click here.

About Talent Beyond Boundaries:

Talent Beyond Boundaries is a non-profit organization that aims to match skilled displaced workers with employers in Canada and other destination countries, including Australia and the UK.  Employers can search a growing talent catalog of more than 40,000 refugees for the skills they need.  Once identified TBB works with immigration and mobility partners such as Weichert and Fragomen to help the newcomer navigate the immigration and relocation process to settle into their new community. For more information visit, https://www.talentbeyondboundaries.org/for-employers

About the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst is Ryerson University’s national centre for innovation and collaboration in cybersecurity. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, it delivers programs across Canada and collaborates closely with industry leaders, governments, public agencies, organizations in all sectors, and other academic institutions to empower Canadians and Canadian businesses to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges of cybersecurity. Through its groundbreaking training and certification programs; unique commercial accelerator for Canadian cybersecurity scale-ups; first-of-its-kind cyber range; wide-ranging public education programs; and influential policy development platform, the Catalyst drives Canada’s global competitiveness in cybersecurity.

Contact Talent Beyond Boundaries:

Patrick O’Leary
Global Program Director
Talent Beyond Boundaries
poleary@talentbeyondboundaries.org