BY ZAFIRAH ZAFRUDDIN

This announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Malaysia Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence( CCoE). The centre, a regional first, was established as a national initiative with the vision of becoming a global hub for training, skill development, and intelligence sharing.

Reflecting on the CCoE’ s first-year achievements, BlackBerry Asia Pacific( APAC) Senior Vice President Tash Stamatelos highlighted the collaborative efforts with the Malaysian government:“ We are proud to witness the CCoE thrive in its first year; strengthening partnerships, expanding programmes, and offering scholarships that help to build digital human capital and support diversity in the cybersecurity sector.”

EXPANDING ACCESS

Since its launch, the CCoE has already demonstrated significant progress in diversity. Over 40 per cent of last year’ s attendees were women, a promising sign for the future of cybersecurity in Malaysia.

The High Commissioner for Canada in Malaysia, Jodi Robinson, commended the progress made in addressing the cyber skills shortage and enhancing diversity:“ I look forward to the CCoE becoming a true regional hub for cybersecurity excellence in Southeast Asia.”

To further diversify and localise the cybersecurity workforce, BlackBerry is offering scholarships aimed at various groups, including women, underserved individuals, students, and lecturers. These initiatives include:

■ Fifty scholarships for Malaysian women to receive specialised training at the CCoE, a hybrid programme in partnership with the ISC2 Malaysia Chapter.

RESILIENCE THROUGH DIALOGUE: Panel Session 1,“ The Future of Cybersecurity: Preparing Our People for the Next Generation of Threats,” featured Sivanathan Subramaniam, Christine Gadsby, Derek John Fernandez, and Meisam Eslahi.

■ Twenty-five CompTIA ITF + certifications for individuals with limited educational opportunities, offered in collaboration with 42 Kuala Lumpur, a tuition-free, self-paced computer science academy.

As part of its commitment to accessible learning, Blackberry added EC-Council Learning to the CCoE’ s existing curriculum. As a self-paced training platform, it’ s designed to help public sector workers upskill at their own pace.

NEXT-GEN TALENT

In preparation for training the next generation of cybersecurity talent, BlackBerry, in collaboration with Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad( TalentCorp), recently launched CyberNext.

The programme is a national initiative aimed at equipping 1,000 Malaysian students and 250 university lecturers with essential cybersecurity skills in the face of growing digital threats.

“ We are proud to join forces with Talent- Corp to empower Malaysia’ s next generation of cyber defenders to be better prepared for tomorrow’ s threats,” said BlackBerry Training Manager at the CCoE, Jaclyn Sim.

“ As the CCoE marks one year of operations, the CyberNext initiative is one of programmes at this world-class training facility designed to prepare workers at different levels for a wide range of roles, supporting Malaysia in its efforts to develop local cybersecurity talent, boost capacity, and become a recognised leader in the region.”

Training for CyberNext begins in July at the state-of-the-art( SOTA) facility, supported by CCoE’ s training partners ISC2 and CompTIA.

Across two six-month phases, the programme will provide a year of structured

training that meets real-world cybersecurity demands. Participants will advance from beginner to intermediate levels, gaining globally recognised certifications upon completion.

“ Professionals with cybersecurity skills are consistently in high demand, as identified in TalentCorp’ s Critical Occupations List; yet the local supply remains limited,” TalentCorp Talent Principal Badrie Abdullah remarked.

“ Through the CyberNext Programme, we are embedding world-class training into the national talent pipeline, equipping both students and educators with industry-aligned, future-relevant capabilities.

“ This initiative strengthens national resilience, supports digital transformation, and advances our goal of building a competitive, inclusive, and future-ready workforce.”

GLOBAL SUPPORT

“ As a hub for learning, training, and collaboration, the CCoE is laying a strong foundation for cross-border and cross-sector engagement, advancing Malaysia’ s ambition to lead in cybersecurity excellence across ASEAN,” stated Stamatelos.

This vision is further bolstered by international commitments. In late 2024, the Government of Canada pledged US $ 2.8 million towards cybersecurity skills training at the CCoE, as part of its broader Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The initiative is being implemented by the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, a leading Canadian cybersecurity accelerator, in partnership with BlackBerry.

This multi-stakeholder approach prioritises curriculum development that adheres to global standards. It ensures training programmes are both internationally relevant and locally responsive.

Through these partnerships with global and regional allies, including BlackBerry, ASEAN stakeholders, and the Canadian Government, Malaysia is steadily positioning itself as a regional frontrunner in cybersecurity.

This concerted effort is ultimately empowering a diverse and digitally resilient workforce, ensuring the nation is wellequipped to tackle future cyber challenges. @ ND