EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
“ I would say that the Cyber Pulse Innovation Lab at Abu Dhabi Polytechnic is just the start – my vision is to have cyber security labs to be established in most if not all of the institutes of higher learning in the UAE ,” said H . E Al-Kuwaiti .
“ The reason is simple – the plan for capacity building in cybersecurity requires aspiring cybersecurity professionals to have solid foundations in appreciating the rigour and need of securing the cyberspace . As such , the lab provides an opportunity to be hands-on .”
Taking cyber theory from the classroom to the lab environment , and working directly with technology suppliers like Huawei means that students will be able to learn about real-time threats and solutions as they appear – best preparing them for corporate roles where they can hit the ground running . And this partnership with Huawei is just the beginning .
“ With more vendors coming on board after Huawei has led the way , they will provide a vendor-specific capability that will be useful from applied research and learning perspectives , and that will make the students more relevant to the industry ,” said H . E Al-Kuwaiti .
As well as numerous initiatives in play to attract tech innovators and talent to the UAE , the country is committed to providing jobs of the future for Emiratis – and the growing cyber security skills gap is one that can be an opportunity as well as a practical solution .
H . E Al-Kuwaiti admits that the biggest challenge right now is the severe shortage of cybersecurity talent globally . With rapid adoption of digital transformation in the last three years , the talent gap has widened in terms of being able to get the right people with the right expertise in the right place .
HE Dr Mohamed Al-Kuwaiti , Head of Cyber Security , UAE General , Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational E Managing Director , Institute of Applied Technology ( IAT ) A Director MEA , BizClik and Scott Birch , MD – Dubai , BizClik
Partnership with the industry is critical as it brings together all stakeholders of the digital eco-system together with a common vision
HE Dr Mohamed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti Head of Cyber Security , UAE Government
28 November 2022