Global cybersecurity leader Palo Alto Networks partners with Asia Pacific College (APC) to launch its first cybersecurity academy in the Philippines.
Established to solve the scarcity of talents in the field of cybersecurity, the educational institution will start to offer cybersecurity courses by February 2020 across senior high school students of Asia Pacific College. The subjects, which focus on cybersecurity gateway, defense and countermeasures, and infrastructure configuration, will be embedded in the curriculum of the students. Through the course, students will see the current cybersecurity landscape and learn how to combat threats. There will be a set of classroom discussions, as well as technical and hands-on lab training, to further monitor the progress of the students.
APC’s college students under the School of Management, School of Multimedia and
Arts, and School of Engineering may also enroll in other cybersecurity-related courses. Upon their graduation on their chosen degrees, each student who took and passed the said courses has the opportunity to get a certification as cybersecurity associate or network security administrator.
To make learning easier and fun for the students, Palo Alto Networks also built a new facility within the school’s premises. Dubbed as the APC Cybersecurity Sandbox, the state-of-the-art laboratory secured by Palo Alto Networks is equipped with the latest computers and reliable software that will help students in doing their cybersecurity-related exercises.
For the last two years, APC was declared as the Center of Development in Computer Engineering and the Center for IT Education by Commission on Higher Education. The SM Foundation and IBM-founded academic institution also takes pride in its competent set of faculty members. Meanwhile, Palo Alto Networks has forged similar academic partnerships with colleges and universities in more than 40 countries in the US, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific.
Asia Pacific College president Dr. Ma. Teresita Medado recognizes the importance of cybersecurity in the technology-dependent society and expresses gratitude with the school’s partnership with Palo Alto Networks. “The vision of APC is to develop talent
who have the skills and mindset to take on any challenge in any environment – in both the local as well as international market. With the shortage of cybersecurity professionals being a global challenge, we recognize the importance of cybersecurity education as a fundamental skill that must be learned and applied in various aspects of our daily lives, early on. It is a great honor to be Palo Alto Networks pioneering Cybersecurity Academy in the Philippines, and we look forward to building on this mutually rewarding relationship for many years to come,” she shared.
Also present in the launch of the cybersecurity academy and the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the APC Cybersecurity Sandbox were Palo Alto Networks country manager Oscar Visaya, Palo Alto Networks field chief security officer Kevin O’Leary, Asia Pacific College chairman Ramon Yap Dimacali, and CHED OIC for supervising education program Dr. Bellaflor Coronado.
For more information, please visit the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy page.