Foreword

Governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide are facing significant threats from cyber security breaches. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the demand for cyber security professionals globally, and this trend is expected to continue, leading to labour shortages in several countries. To address the shortage of skilled workers in the cyber security sector, it is crucial to understand the dynamics of supply and demand for cyber security skills. Governments and organisations can utilise this information to identify weaknesses and determine areas that require additional resources. By analysing job postings, one can identify trends in the demand for cyber security professionals and the skills needed to strengthen organisations’ cyber security. Additionally, studying cyber security education and training programmes provides valuable insights into the development of the cyber security workforce and potential discrepancies between supply and demand.

This report analyses the demand for cyber security professionals in Latin America and zooms in on the provision of cyber security education and training programmes in Colombia. The report aims to provide a comparative analysis of cyber security demand in Chile, Colombia and Mexico, with a detailed analysis of the education and training programmes and policies put in place in Colombia to make the profession more attractive and diverse. The report is the second in a series of studies that aim to expand knowledge on the cyber security workforce and related education and training provision in various regions and countries.

This work has been carried out by the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs and the OECD Centre for Skills. The report was prepared by Diego Eslava and Annikka Lemmens (Chapters 1 and 2) and Iván Bornacelly (Chapters 1 and 3), under the supervision of Fabio Manca, Viktoria Kis and Marieke Vandeweyer. Editorial assistance was provided by Natalie Corry. Valuable comments were given by Mark Pearson (OECD Deputy Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs) and El Iza Mohamedou (Head of the OECD Centre for Skills), as well as by Francesca Borgonovi (OECD Centre for Skills) and colleagues from the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation.

The OECD is grateful to stakeholders in Colombia for their input and feedback throughout the project, in particular the Ministry of National Education and Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. Our warm thanks go to the Ministries in the countries analysed that provided feedback to the report and to the many education and training institutions, businesses, research institutions, and other organisations who generously shared their knowledge and insights during bilateral discussions. The support from Microsoft Philanthropies is highly appreciated.