Today, Norway has 2,000 experts in hacking and computer crime.
The deficit of professionals will double the next decade, according to recent studies.
For the first time, a concrete projection has been made of access to,and the need for, ICT security competence in Norway.
Based on projections of the supply and demand sides, by 2030 there will be a demand for people with such knowledge of just over 15,000,while in the same year, access will be almost 11,000.
“Thus, by 2030 there will be a gap of 4,100 people with ICT security competence,” the report from the Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education stated.
“In order to close this gap, the supply side must be increased by just over a third, or closer to 37%, it stated.
ICT security affects everything from identity theft and data attacks against individuals, to large estimates of system-weighted institutions such as in the attack on Health Southeast recently.
“We have a lack of awareness and culture in Norwegian society, as it takes time to change. We underestimate both the dangers we are exposed to as individuals, and the danger of major attacks on our systems,” said the Secretary of State, Thor Kleppen Sættem of Høyre (H) in the Ministry of Justice to NTB news.
Educate more experts
The report stated that Norway’s needs for ICT security experts are approximately in line with the needs in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The report drew up a number of recommendations for how Norway can fill the gap in skills:
* Educate more people with expertise in ICT security, both generalists and specialists.
* Equalise gender differences in ICT by recruiting more girls, as well as introducing ICT security and ICT earlier in the schools.
* Strengthen existing research communities and build new ones.
* Consider using more external educators from business or government in higher education than today.
* Further education to reduce skills gap.
The report also showed that many private jobs can be created within ICT security.
Lack of awareness
Sættem pointed out that the government has taken several steps to strengthen the work on ICT security, including within the Police and the Armed Forces.
At the same time, the government has increased the number of study places, and the Ministry of Education’s expert committee ‘learning all life’ looked at the need for ICT skills. A revised long-term research and development plan is also around the corner.
“We need more people who take ICT and safety education. I think that much more emphasis must also be placed on continuing education for people already in the labour market. We need to spend more energy than we have done so far,” said the Secretary of State.
Private-public cooperation
Getting started earlier with ICT training is another key point, he believes.
“We need to address this in elementary school. There is a big space for more girls to get involved in this,” said Sættem.
The report showed student numbers that demonstrate the gender distribution between the sexes is as big as it was 10-20 years ago, and in fact is increasing somewhat.
“We might also think in a completely different way about private and public entities playing a role in ICT security. This is because this expertise is very specialised and resources are limited.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
