More than 90 Deakin University cyber security students had the opportunity to engage with industry experts at the ‘Accelerate your career in Cyber Security’ event hosted by Deakin’s School of Information Technology and Dimension Data earlier this year.
The students learned about Deakin’s partnership with Dimension Data and opportunities such as the 2019 Graduate Program, internships and graduate employment. Other topics included the trends disrupting and shaping cyber security in 2018 and beyond, as well as an insight into the cyber security work Dimension Data does with its clients.
Professor Robin Doss, deputy head of Deakin’s School of IT, believes industry events have a lot to offer students.
‘These events with industry partners such as Dimension Data provide a unique opportunity for students to develop an understanding of industry trends, skills in demand and the rapidly changing nature of the technology workforce both in Australia and globally,’ Professor Doss explains.
‘Employers value graduates that understand the "business" and can hit the ground running from both a technical skill as well as business perspective.’
Senior representatives of Dimension Data in Australia were guest speakers at the event, including Debra Bordignon, Chief Technology Officer; John Karabin, Director of Cyber Security and Duncan Brown, Director, Strategy and Innovation.
‘Collaborating on Deakin’s Bachelor of Cyber Security degree has allowed us to craft a unique offering that we believe addresses the requirement for "job ready" graduates to enter the market and meet industry demands,’ Mr Brown says.
‘Engaging with students at this event reinforced for me how important it is to share industry perspectives with students and to receive their insights and responses to the program we’ve developed with Deakin.’
Dimension Data’s National Graduate Program Manager Kelly-Anne Kerley was also at the event.
‘I was impressed with the turnout at the Accelerate your career in Cyber Security industry event,’ Ms Kerley says. ‘Personally I feel attending industry events is critical in educating and supporting students as they look to standout for internship and graduate opportunities.’
Ms Kerley thanked Deakin for their support of the event and allowing Dimension Data to ‘connect with the next generation of talent on a personal level’.
Students could participate in the event from both the Melbourne Burwood Campus and the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus. Mark Tolson, Manager of Work Integrated Learning in Deakin’s Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, says it was a great example of ‘bringing the real world to campus’.
‘Our cyber students now have unique opportunities to build and apply their skills through the programs we’re creating.’