ESET Australia, in partnership with Minister of Cyber Security and Home Affairs Clare O’Neil, has unveiled the 2023 ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship Program.
The program aims to empower and encourage women to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), with a focus on cybersecurity.
The scholarship, worth $5,000, is open to female students who are currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program in a STEM-related field. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is a chance for female students to receive financial support and recognition for their academic achievements and passion for cybersecurity.
Applications are now open, and the winners will be announced on International Women’s Day, on March 8th, 2023, at Canberra House.
Applicants must fulfil certain criteria to be eligible for the ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship. They must be currently enrolled in or have been accepted to an accredited college or university within Australia, possess Australian citizenship or permanent residency status, and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (or equivalent GPA on a 9.0 scale).
The inaugural recipient of this scholarship award was Alaina Lawson, who is pursuing a Bachelor of IT with a major in cybersecurity at the Australian National University. After receiving the scholarship, Alaina went on to work in an engineering role at a cybersecurity firm while continuing her full-time studies.
The latest statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that women only make up a mere 15 per cent of the workforce with qualifications in STEM fields. Globally, a survey conducted by (ISC)2 Women in Cybersecurity across three continents in 2021 revealed that men greatly outnumber women in the field of cybersecurity, three to one. This highlights the significance of supporting women as they pursue degrees in STEM fields.
Having more women succeed in cybersecurity will make it easier to attract even more women into the field. The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network predicts that the country will require over 16,000 skilled workers by 2026, and boosting the number of women in the technology space will help address this shortage of workers.
ESET APJ President, Parvinder Walia, said, “Eradicating cybercrime needs a global army of passionate cybersecurity evangelists with different perspectives, and the increase of women coming into this robust workforce adds to the strength and diversity of expertise. We hope that incentives like this scholarship, and our alignment with Minister O’Neil, as a leader for Australia’s Cyber Security portfolio, will inspire the continued increase of women into the cybersecurity sector.”
Walia also added, “Women are still very much underrepresented in the cybersecurity industry. I believe that with the ESET Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship, we can break down some barriers of entry in order to support the next generation of female cybersecurity experts.”
To apply for the scholarship, please follow this link.
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