NIIT University (NU) today said it has partnered consultancy firm PwC India for creating a trained talent pool of cyber security professionals in India.
Under the partnership, academic experts from NU and senior professionals from PwC India have co-created a two-year work-integrated specialised Master's Programme in cyber security.
"Cyber security market is currently at USD 1 billion and is expected to grow to USD 35 billion by 2025. The demand for skilled professionals in the space is very high coming from across industry sectors and government," NIIT Group Chairman and NU founder Rajendra S Pawar told reporters here.
The key driver in the programme is industry-led research in the cyber security space, he added.
IT industry body Nasscom had launched a cyber security task force earlier this year with an aim to expand India's share in the segment from one per cent to 10 per cent by 2025 and create a trained base of one million certified and skilled cyber security professionals.
"In today's digitised environment, securing our cyberspace
has become a priority for businesses and citizens across the world. This calls for a team of trained professionals who are equipped to combat the challenges that are posed by hackers every day. Our partnership with PwC India is a step in that direction," Pawar said.
PwC India Chairman Deepak Kapoor said cyber security is a major focus area and growth driver for the company.
"We currently have around 300 people in this practice and will need to increase it tenfold to about 3,000 people over the next 4-5 years," he said.
The programme, which has a course fee of over Rs 4 lakh, will emphasise on security analytics, threat intelligence, industrial control system and vulnerability analysis.
PwC India will jointly select the candidates along with NU
and provide expert faculty from within the firm and other industry practitioners for delivery of the programme.
The consulting firm will also invest in training and development of the candidates who will be employed with PwC India after the programme.
In the second year of the programme, PwC India will provide six months' on-site training to the candidates. PwC India will pay the students a scholarship throughout the two years of the programme towards maintenance costs.
The first batch of the Master's Programme in Cyber Security will commence from July 2016.
Applicants are required to have four years Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Technology in Computer Science or IT or Master's Degree holders in Computer Science/IT/Mathematics and Statistics (those completing their Degree in the current academic year are also eligible).
Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman NIIT Group and Founder NU,
said, "Technology has changed the way businesses are run and has brought along with it unique challenges and threats. In today's digitized environment securing our cyberspace has become a priority for businesses and citizens across the world. This calls for a team of trained professionals who are equipped to combat the challenges that are posed by hackers every day. Our partnership with PwC India is a step in that direction."
Deepak Kapoor, Chairman, PwC India, said, "Cyber Security is a major focus area and the growth driver for PwC India. We currently have around 300 people in this practice and will need to increase it tenfold to about 3,000 people over the next 4-5 years."
"With this programme with NU, PwC India is collaborating with academia to bring industry-ready talent into the market, readily employable with required customised skills set." Mr. Kapoor added.
First year of the Master's Programme in Cyber Security will be held at the Neemrana Campus of
NU, followed by an internship at PwC India under the supervision of NU faculty. The programme will emphasize on Security Analytics, Threat Intelligence, Industrial Control System and Vulnerability Analysis and also draw on practitioner-experts from PwC India to ensure the right blend of academic concepts and industry application. PwC has worked with NU to devise the curriculum for the programme. In addition, PwC India and NU will co-create specialised laboratories at the University, with advanced hardware and software required for the programme.
Dr Rajendra Pandey, President, NU, said, "The Master's
Programme in Cyber Security in partnership with PwC India is yet another initiative by NU to offer industry-aligned, research focused programme that will enable our students to explore exciting career opportunities in today's knowledge economy."
PwC India will jointly select the candidates along with NU and also provide expert faculty from within the firm and other industry practitioners for delivery of the programme. It will help NU select the right persons from industry, with relevant work experience, to join the programme. PwC and NU will jointly pick some of the bright students from other Universities as well.
PwC will invest in training and development of the candidates who will be employed with PwC India after the programme. In the second year of the programme, PwC India will provide six
months' on-site training to the candidates at its offices, where they will get the first-hand experience of real-life work situation. Also, the firm will jointly select the research topics with NU for the industry research for the last six months of the programme. PwC India will pay the students a scholarship throughout the two years of the programme towards maintenance costs.
During the visit Mr. Patwardhan met Mr. Pham Dai Doung,
Vice Minister of Science & Technology and Dr. Nguyen Son Hai, Director General Dept. Of Information and Communication Technology under Ministry of Education & Training. The meeting focused on discussions on the recent bilateral agreement signed between India and Vietnam. The talks were held on the upgradation in the curriculum that can benefit the student community and also on the employment issue that the workforce is currently facing in Vietnam.
Further Mr. Patwardhan met Mr. Huynh Quyet Thang (Vice President) Hanoi University of Science & Technology (HUST). He also met Mr. Nguyen The Hung - Deputy General Director, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh, Director, Small & Medium Enterprise, VCCI during the course of his visit.
NIIT has established its presence in Vietnam over the past 16 years, becoming the first Indian IT enterprise to do so. Over the years, NIIT has been training skilled IT professionals for the Vietnam IT industry. With the support of its outstanding partners and institutions, it has trained more than 50,000 students in the country. NIIT has also been the winner of Vietnam's ICT Gold Award for 7 years. About NIIT
Established in 1981, NIIT Limited, a global leader in Skills and Talent Development, offers multi-disciplinary learning management and training delivery solutions to corporations, institutions, and individuals in over 40 countries. NIIT has three main lines of business across the globe- Corporate Learning Group, Skills and Careers Group, and School Learning Group.
NIIT's Corporate Learning Group (CLG) offers Managed
Training Services (MTS) to market-leading companies in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The comprehensive suite of Managed Training Services includes custom Curriculum Design and Content Development, Learning Administration, Learning Delivery, Strategic Sourcing, Learning Technology, and Advisory Services.
With a team of some of the world's finest learning professionals, NIIT is dedicated to helping customers increase the business value of learning and development (L&D). Built on the sound principles of 'Running Training like a Business', NIIT's Managed Training Services and best-in-class training processes enable customers to align business goals with L&D, reduce costs, realise measurable value, benefit from rock-solid operations, and increase business impact.
NIIT's Skills and Careers Group (SNC) delivers a diverse range of learning and talent development programs to millions of individual and corporate learners in areas including Banking, Finance & Insurance, Retail Sales Enablement, Management Education, Multi-Sectoral Vocational Skills, Digital Media Marketing, and programs in digital transformation technologies.
These programs are delivered through a hybrid combination of the 'Cloud Campus' online platform, satellite-based 'Synchronous Learning Technology' and a physical network of hundreds of learning centers in India, China, and select markets in Asia & Africa. The flagship multi-disciplinary course offerings include the industry-endorsed GNIIT - Digital Transformation program and a set of DigiNxt Programs for students from different streams, apart from a wide range of specialist short duration programs.
To further strengthen its SNC portfolio in India, NIIT has tied up with industry majors like ICICI Bank for NIIT Institute of Finance Banking Insurance& Training Limited, IFBI; leading business schools in India for NIIT Imperia; Genpact for NIIT Uniqua; and a joint venture with NSDC for NIIT YuvaJyoti Limited. Besides this, for the China market, NIIT has tied up with governments and software parks in Guian, Chongqing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhangjiagang, Haikou and Dafeng, for state-of-the-art public-private partnership centres.
The University also offers a 2-year full-time MBA
programme with options to specialize in areas like Marketing, Finance, HR, Digital Marketing, Business Analytics, Banking and Banking Technology. NU offers exclusive Industry Linked programmes at the master's level including, MBA (Business Analytics) with Industry leader WNS and M Tech (Cyber Security) in collaboration with PwC.
With a focus on innovation and a research-driven approach to education, NU is beginning to emerge as the hot-bed of entrepreneurship. The university provides an enabling platform for students to innovate ideas for their own startups, under the guidance of expert faculty. These startups are based on innovative ideas like - a smart network health monitoring tool; a dedicated one-stop solution for pet care services; NU-Window; First Move Technologies; AT-Lead; Food tech; My Geo Info, Astra and a peer learning site, to name a few.
