UK Cyber Security Council adds certifications to its career mapping tool

The UK Cyber Security Council has launched the first phase of a new tool to make picking the right cyber security certifications easier.

The initiative is part of its career mapping tool, which breaks down cyber security into 16 specialist areas. The tool already offers a raft of advice for people looking to move into cyber security or those looking to move into new career areas, and while the tool is still a work in progress, it is still a unique way to get an idea of where to next in your career.

“This framework allows you to see which certifications may be useful to you, within the different specialisms and at which point of your career,” the council said on the certification framework’s website.

“Each of our 16 specialisms [is] built on knowledge areas within the Cyber Body of Knowledge (CyBOK). We are mapping certifications to the CyBOK knowledge areas, which then allows us to show how certifications link to our specialisms. We are continually mapping certifications, and this tool will be updated regularly.”

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Professor Simon Hepburn, chief executive of the UK Cyber Security Council, believes the mapping tool can help create certainty for those looking to get into the industry.

“People spend time and money on getting certifications, and it’s important that they do so knowing that the level they achieve is aligned to the specialism and role they want to secure,” Hepburn told Help Net Security.

“Starting out, a junior cyber professional may see senior people with multiple certifications — likely because they have acquired them throughout their career as different employers have required different skills. This can be overwhelming for new candidates, who may not realise they don’t need all of these certifications straight away.”

Do you think Australia could use a similar tool for budding security specialists? Let us know in the comments below.

David Hollingworth

David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.