The UK Cyber Security Council is working on the UK’s first chartered cyber professionals, reports Mark Rowe.
The trial starters are in Cyber Security Governance and Risk Management and Secure System Architecture and Design. The Council is partnering with two bodies – (ISC)2 and the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec). An equivalent in the physical security world is the CSyP (Chartered Security Professional) status that is owned by the Worshipful Company of Security Professionals (WCoSP), and managed by the Security Institute.
The idea is to have three professional titles, Associate, Principal and Chartered, depending on experience and expertise of the person. Associate would be the first title, Principal the mid-tier and Chartered the highest. The Council was awarded Royal Chartered status by the Privy Council, making the UK Cyber Security Council the only body that can charter people to award them status as a ‘Chartered Cyber Security Professional’, just as accountants, engineers and so on can be chartered.
As the Council says, several cyber security qualifications, certifications and degrees are around; but it’s hard to say which is best taken first and whether or how to progress to others.
Professor Simon Hepburn, CEO of the Council, said: “The Council is committed to working with stakeholders across the industry, with a joint aim of creating a world class cyber sector right here in the UK. If we’re to achieve on that ambition, the country will need a framework and an aligned professional standard across the industry’s disciplines. We will also need a better understanding of skillsets and experience, and a way of demonstrating an adherence to industry best-practice and ethical standards.
“The pilot programme will be a significant step in the right direction, which is why we’re really excited with the potential of welcoming in the UK’s very first chartered cyber professionals this year. It will be crucial to our objectives and I’m really looking forward to working with the pilot participant bodies as we craft that new framework, for a clear and robust professional standard in the sector.”
Visit: https://www.ukcybersecuritycouncil.org.uk/careers-learning/careers-route-map/.
Hepburn meanwhile has joined Aston University as a visiting professor.
