The changing nature of cyber threats makes it essential to train young cybersecurity specialists already before they start their working careers. Educational establishments and companies are to develop cybersecurity education by transforming it from an exclusively technical format to a more practical, interdisciplinary, managerial one.

For illustration, one can refer to the example of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). “A CISO has to possess technical knowledge as well as knowledge of the business environment,” says Manish Chasta, Cyber Security Practitioner. A CISO has to possess technical knowledge as well as knowledge of the business environment. The CISO needs to evaluate risks, inform top managers, comply with laws, and act under difficult situations. Therefore, it is important for education to achieve the synergy of theoretical knowledge and realities of ICT security.

The issue of talent is another significant question. As per the 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study by ISC2, 59 per cent of cybersecurity specialists said that there is a need for skills in their organizations. This poses a challenge for educational institutions; just teaching students technical knowledge is not sufficient. Universities must focus on offering practical knowledge to students in areas such as threat detection, incident response, cloud security, AI-related risks and governance, along with the need for communication and decision-making skills needed for being a leader in cybersecurity.

Rethinking the cybersecurity curriculum

Cybersecurity education depends excessively on different technologies that range from network security and ethical hacking to threat detection and incident response.

"While these remain key areas in cyber defence rounds, future cybersecurity leaders need to get acquainted with risk management, data protection, corporate governance, business continuity, and management of human organizations," Chasta says.

Universities should include modules that are based on interdisciplinary approaches to showing students how cyberattacks influence companies not only in terms of the result but also in terms of how organizations should react. By doing so, we would ensure that students learn how to establish connections between technologies and their consequences in organizations of different types.

Making practical learning central to education

"In the area of cybersecurity, judgment comes from experience," Chasta says. Yet, students can finish their courses without encountering practical situations like incident response actions.

Cyber ranges, as well as simulated SOCs, training sessions, and labs sponsored by industries, address this issue. Students get along with practical challenges related to compromised accounts, suspicious activities on the network, and incidents with major systems of companies. Thus, it is essential to include decision-making in exercises, as it is as important as technical skills. The audience has to be trained in what cases of incidents should be escalated, how to understand real threats from false ones, and how to pass the information on threats to people who are not versed in technology.

Besides that, AI-based security systems can also be integrated into practice provided the students understand their limitations.

Preparing faculty and strengthening industry-academia partnerships

Without professors who know how to apply theoretical ideas in practice, curriculum reform will yield minimal results. Regular faculty training, events organized by professionals, and research projects conducted cooperatively can help educational institutions keep up with modern reality in their teaching.

Business cooperation can add to the creation of internships, mentoring, real-life projects, and structured acquaintance with the protection teams of organizations. Thanks to such measures, students obtain an idea of their future work requirements, while companies can have their say in training specialists able to work in real-life conditions. Nonetheless, the given cooperation must not replace underlying academic principles in theory.

Teaching students to keep learning

Professionals in the field of cybersecurity must realize that their education shouldn’t end with obtaining a degree or certification. "The world of threats keeps changing, which means that one should continue learning for the rest of his/her life," Chasta says. Universities can help students get ready for this reality if they provide them with research technology, analytical thinking skills, ethical decision-making, and an ability to work with previously unknown technologies. Despite changes in the industry’s technology and security tools, all these skills will make up part of the standard requirements for new CISOs.

Activities related to recruiting tomorrow’s Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) require much more than simply increasing the flow of graduates in cybersecurity; the whole system of education should enable students to receive practical education involving theory and practice, as well as interdisciplinary and professional knowledge. Educational institutions can ensure proper training for security professionals through the right education system.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and expert alone. The opinions in this article do not represent the stand of Edexlive