NIIT University, PwC India tie up to develop talent for cyber security industry

Cyber security market, currently valued at $1 bn, is expected to grow to $35 bn by 2025

PwC India and NIIT University (NU) have entered into a strategic partnership to introduce a two-year work-integrated specialized Master’s Programme in cyber security from the academic session July 2016. With this programme with NU, PwC India is collaborating with academia to bring industry-ready talent into the market, readily employable with required customised skillset.

Cyber security market, currently valued at $1 billion, is expected to grow to $35 billion by 2025. The demand for skilled professionals in the space is very high. This demand is coming from domestic companies' spending in the country; multinational companies investing in India; increasing government activity in the cyber and cyber security space; and information technology firms bringing in work from clients.

Rajendra S Pawar, Chairman NIIT Group and Founder NU, said, “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.”

The Master’s Programme in cyber security is amongst the first programmes to blend academic and professional education, with the industry player PwC India being an equal partner in developing and delivering the programme. The key driver in this programme is industry-led research in the cyber security space.

The apex body for the IT industry NASSCOM launched Cyber Security Task Force earlier this year to build India as a global hub for providing Cyber Security solutions, prepare the Cyber Security R&D plan and develop a skilled workforce of Cyber Security experts. The task force aims to build the cyber security industry in India from the 1% market share to 10% by 2025; create a trained base of 1 million certified and skilled cyber security professionals and build 1000+ startups in Cyber Security from India.