(ISC)2 Announces New Professional Development Institute to Train Cyber Professionals

February 14, 2019

(ISC)² has launched its Professional Development Institute (PDI) to combat the global shortage of skilled and trained cybersecurity professionals.

PDI is provided as a free portfolio of course offerings to (ISC)² members and associates. It will help enhance their skills and abilities by providing access to rich continuing professional education (CPE) opportunities that augment the knowledge they’ve gained throughout their careers.

The multi-year strategy for PDI encompasses the addition of 18 new staff over the next two years, joining the more than 160 existing global employees of the association. These new staff will manage content development, curriculum building, quality control, communications, logistics and administration for the institute. The association will also build out a 765-square-foot video production studio in its Clearwater, Fla, headquarters to produce content for courses featuring leading cybersecurity professionals.

PDI builds on the successful 2018 pilot launch of three professional development courses provided at no additional fee to members and associates. Topics included GDPR for Security Professionals, DevSecOps and Building a Strong Culture of Security. Focus groups and member surveys provided insight into the professional development needs of security professionals and the results have and will continue to inform the evolution of PDI’s curriculum strategy. Member subject matter experts will guide the development of the course material, supported by a team of highly-qualified adult education experts and creative professionals. This will enable (ISC)²to develop a robust catalogue of CPE courses and offerings with the ability to continuously refresh that catalogue based upon clearly articulated member need. In 2019 alone there will be up to 30 new courses released as part of the portfolio.

PDI courses will help (ISC)²members and associates enhance their professional skills through convenient, high-quality education. Making the courses available in an easily-accessible online format will help members maintain a work-life balance.

“There has been demand from (ISC)² members for a wide array of professional development opportunities for education and CPE purposes. There are many such opportunities within the industry, but they are not readily accessible or only available at a significant cost, so I am very excited to see that (ISC)² is offering these development programs,” said James McQuiggan, CISSP, Product & Solutions Security Officer for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Chapter President for the (ISC)² Central Florida Chapter and (ISC)² Advisory Council North America member. “I had the honor and pleasure to provide guidance for the content of one of the initial courses and shared my experience and expertise in its development because I agree with the focus on practical application of security principles. Many of us who are (ISC)² certification holders need opportunities like PDI to stay educated and up to speed on the latest threats, techniques and tools.”

Courses are also available for a competitive price to non-members and the general public. Learn more here: https://www.isc2.org/development

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