MolenGeek and Microsoft team up to train youngsters in cybersecurity

MolenGeek in Brussels and Microsoft have jointly developed a specific training programme on cyber security, Bruzz reports. Together they will train 150 young people in Brussels to help meet the need for cybersecurity skills.

The new training programme is part of Microsoft's multi-year investment programme Digital AmBEtion. This should accelerate the digital transformation of the private and public sector in Belgium. With the plan, Microsoft wants to innovate and improve the necessary skills among all employees in Belgium.

Together with MolenGeek, the citizen initiative launched in 2016 to create a bottom-up tech ecosystem based in Molenbeek, Microsoft is now also targeting young people in Brussels, an underrepresented community that is working hard to bridge the digital skills gap. Under the right circumstances, this gives a group of young people access to the digital economy.

"We are bringing critical skills to a community that has long struggled to keep pace with the rapid pace of technological innovation," said Didier Ongena, general manager of Microsoft Belux. "In one foul swoop, we bring new opportunities to these people and increase the talent pool for employers who are looking for the right people to guide their organisation through this transition."

MolenGeek will develop the training during the summer. Students can then register from September. Initially, Microsoft and MolenGeek are aiming for 150 students, 60 of whom will acquire all required Microsoft certifications.

"This is a pilot programme, but this is by no means a one-off project,” explains Ibrahim Ouassari, who, along with Julie Foulon, founded MolenGeek. “It is our ambition to make this a structural and long-term training programme."