Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
785. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the proposals there are to increase the availability of places in further and higher education to provide training and skills for people in cybersecurity for both the private and public sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73594/25]
View answerThe Level 6 Cybersecurity Apprenticeship leads to a Level 6 Advanced Certificate on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). It combines workplace training with college learning to develop skills for protecting systems against threats.
Since its launch, the apprenticeship population for this programme has grown from 12 at the end of 2019 to 62 as of 15 December 2025. These apprentices are hired by SOLAS approved employers to undertake the apprenticeship.Under the Skills to Advance initiative, numerous micro-qualifications are in development for the Smart Factory by the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre of Excellence (AMTCE).
Included in these is an “IT, Cloud and Cybersecurity” micro-qualification. SOLAS’s eCollege had dedicated cybersecurity courses which include CompTIA Security+, CompTIA PenTest+, CompTIA CYSA+, Pearson IT Specialist in Network Security, ICDL Cybersecurity and Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity. eCollege also offers courses aimed at end users to help boost resilience to cyber threats such as uncertified offerings in understanding cyber threats. SOLAS reports that from January to start of December 2025 there were circa 3,000 enrolments on cybersecurity related courses, representing circa 9% of the total eCollege intake.
Springboard+ is a key measure to increase the availability of higher education upskilling and reskilling places, including in cybersecurity. ICT is a critical focus area, with over 1,450 places on 50 ICT courses in 2025/26 academic year. This represents approximately 20% of all Springboard+ places. There are eight cybersecurity-specific courses providing 204 places. These are delivered across multiple regions, including the Northwest, Dublin, Southwest, Southwest and West and span NFQ Levels 7 to 9. Skillnet Ireland also plays an important role, supporting over 500 trainees’ participation in cybersecurity programmes each year. These courses include, for example, a Masters of Science programme in cybersecurity, certified cyber risk specialist courses, a cybersecurity analyst bootcamp, a certificate in emerging digital technologies and more. In 2026, Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet will collaborate with the Irish Management Institute and Cyber Ireland to deliver a leadership development course entitled ‘Leading in Cybersecurity’.
I am sure the Deputy will agree that there is a lot happening in this space, reflecting the importance of cybersecurity skills for Ireland’s economy and digital resilience.
