The (ISC)² (“ISC-squared”) Foundation is announcing that applications for its Women’s Cybersecurity Scholarship programme are now open. The foundation is offering up to $40,000 (£27,000) towards women’s scholarships in cybersecurity. The aim of the (ISC)2 Foundation in offering this programme is to help bridge the skills gap and improve diversity within the ranks of information security professionals.
The Foundation’s recent Global Information Security Workforce Study research report, Women in Security: Wisely Positioned for the Future of InfoSec 2015, found that women only represent approximately 10% of the current cybersecurity workforce, the same as two years ago. The report states that while the sheer number of women in infosec is increasing, this is only at the same rate of growth as the profession as a whole.
If the industry is to address the projected global shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2020, also identified by its Global Information Security Workforce Study programme, encouraging more women into cybersecurity will remain a top priority to bring the much- needed new talent to the sector.
Applications for Women’s Scholarship are open until 15th March, 2016. Other scholarships available via the foundation include Faculty Education and Exam Vouchers, which are also open until March 15, and the Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships, open for application between February 15th February – 3rd May, 2016.
For additional information on the (ISC)² Foundation Scholarship programme, please visit https://www.isc2cares.org/scholarships