ICTC & Cyberr partner to bridge cybersecurity talent

The Information and Communications Technology Council and Cyberr have formed a partnership to connect cybersecurity talent in Canada and Europe. The agreement was signed in Paris.

It will link graduates of ICTC cybersecurity programmes with Cyberr's international network of professionals, mentors and employers. The aim is to give early-career workers access to practical experience, professional contacts and job opportunities across borders.

The move comes as employers seek cybersecurity staff with both technical training and workplace experience. It also reflects broader efforts by public and private organisations to strengthen ties between labour markets in Canada and Europe as demand for digital security skills grows.

ICTC is a Canadian not-for-profit organisation focused on digital economy research, workforce development and skills programmes. Cyberr, based in Luxembourg, runs a professional network for the cybersecurity sector, bringing together recruitment, mentoring, training and community services.

Under the partnership, the two groups plan to combine their networks and training links to help new entrants build industry relationships earlier in their careers. The initiative is also intended to support knowledge exchange between Canadian and European cybersecurity communities.

The agreement also fits into ICTC's broader international work. The organisation recently launched its Canada-Europe Digital Economy Bridge, intended to strengthen connections between businesses, researchers, workers, institutions and innovation networks in the two regions.

That initiative covers cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, workforce development, research, innovation and market access. The new tie-up with Cyberr adds a sector-specific channel for cybersecurity professionals entering the labour market.

Skills gap

Recruitment and retention remain persistent issues in cybersecurity, where employers often want practical experience alongside formal qualifications. Industry bodies and training providers have increasingly focused on mentoring and peer networks to help graduates move into jobs more quickly.

ICTC and Cyberr said the partnership is designed to address that gap by pairing training outcomes with industry exposure. Rather than focusing only on coursework, the model emphasises introductions to experienced practitioners and employers in multiple markets.

Anne Patterson, Chief Research and Communications Officer at ICTC, set out the rationale for the agreement in the context of transatlantic digital links.

"Cybersecurity is increasingly a shared international challenge, and building the talent needed to respond to it requires stronger connections across borders. As Canada and Europe deepen their economic and digital ties, there is a real opportunity to build more mutually reinforcing cybersecurity ecosystems-sharing expertise, developing talent, and strengthening connections between employers and professionals on both sides of the Atlantic. This partnership establishes an exchange that strengthens our collective capacity to develop skilled professionals, support employers and institutions, and build more secure and resilient digital economies," Patterson said.

Cyberr framed the partnership around the role of personal networks and mentoring in helping people establish themselves in the sector. It said those relationships can shape whether early-career professionals stay in the field and find routes into specialist roles.

Kätlin Koemets, Chief Partnership Officer at Cyberr, said the arrangement is intended to give ICTC graduates direct access to that support structure.

"What makes the biggest difference in someone's early cybersecurity career is often the people around them, the person a few years ahead who answers the question they were afraid to ask, the mentor who helps them see where they could go next. This partnership connects ICTC's graduates to exactly that: a professional network where they can learn from people further along, build relationships that outlast any single job, and feel like they belong in the field rather than trying to break into it. Giving Canada's emerging talent that kind of grounding from the start is the sort of impact we built Cyberr to have," Koemets said.

The partnership gives ICTC graduates a route into a wider professional network outside Canada, while offering Cyberr closer links to a pool of newly trained talent. It also underlines how cybersecurity workforce development is moving beyond classroom teaching towards a model that combines education, mentoring and employer access.