Over 200 Barbadians could be hired as early as next month
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS — More than 1,500 Barbadians are poised to be hired for cybersecurity jobs that will earn them an estimated $90,000 per year, thanks to a new partnership between Barbados and Canada.
Under the partnership, Barbadians will be trained in this rapidly expanding field, and also have placement opportunities to be hired by a Canadian company while still living in Barbados.
The cybersecurity jobs will provides salaries as high as BBD$90,000 per year.
Further, the jobs promise to be quite lucrative, with salaries potentially as high as just under BBD$90,000 per year.
This is all thanks to the Cyber Nations Training Initiative, which Prime Minister Mia Mottley lauded for its high-earning potential.
“It is intended to train 1,500 people in the next 18 months,” Mottley said.
“The jobs starting will be at a minimum of CND$60,000, a year, per student who successfully completes the programme…
“These are real opportunities — global jobs but living in Barbados.”
Boom in cybersecurity jobs
Commenting on the programme, the Canadian organizations that launched the initiative described an employment boom in cybersecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the pandemic spurred more businesses around the world to take their operations online, cybersecurity has become more crucial than ever, according to SDOCCA Cyber Inc. and Protexxa.
There is an estimated shortage of 3.5 million workers in cybersecurity in 2022.
But the companies explained that with the increasing need for cybersecurity has come labour shortages, leading them to launch a programme to train and recruit talent abroad.
Barbados has become the first Caribbean country to take part, but with some “3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide, the programme aims to transform the Caribbean into a cybersecurity hub”.
An official government statement noted, “Over 200 Barbadians will soon get the opportunity to work in the area of cybersecurity with companies in Canada and across the rest of the world.
“This will come as a result of persons being trained in the field when Barbados pilots the Cyber Nations Training Initiative, a programme created in Canada with the bold mission of training 100,000 people from the Caribbean and African countries as cybersecurity operations analysts, incident responders and cyber literacy coordinators.”
Those keen to join the cybersecurity industry can visit www.cyber-nations.com/Barbados for more information.
The government advised that programme participants will be provided with a laptop, internet hotspot and online instructors; and financing is available through the Student Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF).
Further, “successful graduates will be matched with participating organizations for lucrative employment opportunities”.
Find the latest jobs in the Caribbean via Caribbean Employment Services Inc.