In a pioneering move, Tesserent Academy has reported the beginning of a trial with Toorak College to conduct a series of cybersecurity sessions for all 100 female students in Year 10. Fully subsidised by the Academy, this unique initiative will begin in Term 1 and continue into Term 2.

The initiative's launch coincides with International Women's Day, purposely targeting young women to help instil in them the basics of cybersecurity. This endeavour aims to offer a foundation for potential careers in this field while facilitating skill-building to meet future demand for cybersecurity professionals.

"At Toorak College, we are committed to providing our students with the best opportunities to thrive in an ever-evolving world," said Kristy Kendall, Principal of Toorak College, affirming the school's dedication to preparing their students for a digitally-driven future. She added, "Our corporate partnership with Tesserent allows us to offer invaluable industry immersion and insights to our senior school students."

This collaboration, according to Kendall, fosters innovation and curiosity among the students about cybersecurity and technology, broadening their career prospects. The partnership is designed to offer first-hand experience, mentorship, and access to cutting-edge resources, all of which are key to nurturing success in the digital age.

Kurt Hansen, the CEO of Tesserent, is eager to introduce more high school students, particularly young girls, to the world of cybersecurity through Tesserent Academy. "The industry desperately needs more cybersecurity talent to meet demand now and into the future, " said Hansen.

Together, Tesserent Academy and Toorak College will offer five 45-minute sessions to all 100 female Year 10 students. The Term 1 sessions are designed to cultivate cybersecurity awareness, ensure understanding of the cybersecurity landscape, laws, regulations, data privacy, standards and controls. Hansen explained that the goal is to educate the Year 10 girls about being cyber-aware citizens, to comprehend how cybercriminals operate and learn techniques to safeguard their online privacy.

Term 2 will see 20 select students engage in two hands-on sessions. The first session will provide them practical exercises teaching defensive and offensive tactics. It will also cover topics including threat landscape, threat intelligence, cloud computing, network security, endpoint security, physical security and incident response. The second session will offer a tour of Tesserent's Security Operations Centre and a careers session delivered by experts from Tesserent's proficient 550 strong team.

Kurt Hansen of Tesserent and Kristy Kendall, Principal of Toorak College, have expressed readiness for follow-up media interviews.