A new nationwide initiative is seeking to patch holes in Canada’s cybersecurity talent pipeline.
The Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, based out of Toronto Metropolitan University, has launched Cyber Clinics Canada.
Backed by more than $3 million in funding from Google.org, Cyber Clinics Canada will connect Canadian postsecondary institutions with cybersecurity students for hands-on experience while providing community organizations with access to critical support.
Already operating across several countries, cyber clinics are practical learning programs that pair learners with nonprofit and social impact organizations who need cybersecurity support.
Working under the guidance of experienced professionals, students gain practical experience while organizations receive support.
Charles Finlay, the Catalyst’s Founding Executive Director, thinks of the clinics as “a teaching hospital for the digital age.”
“Much like teaching hospitals give future healthcare professionals practical experience while serving patients, cyber clinics give learners the opportunity to tackle current cybersecurity challenges under expert supervision, while providing smaller organizations with support they may not otherwise be able to afford,” says Finlay.
Sabrina Geremia, country manager for Google in Canada, suggests that “building a strong, diverse, and skilled cybersecurity workforce is more important than ever.”
“Cyber clinics are a proven, scalable model,” Geremia says, “and expanding this program across Canada will meaningfully improve access to cyber education while delivering critical support to vulnerable organizations that serve Canadians.”
“Canada needs more cybersecurity graduates who can hit the ground running,” Finlay stated. “This model helps us build that talent while making cybersecurity expertise more accessible to the organizations that need it.”
It is worth noting that research from Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst recently revealed how artificial intelligence is changing the work traditionally done by early-career cybersecurity professionals in Canada.
The report, “Preserving Foundational Skills in AI-Enabled Early-Career Cybersecurity Work,” tackles the concept of the “entry-level paradox.”
This paradox observes that Level 1 cybersecurity work—such as alert triage, query writing, and incident investigation—is increasingly automated or AI-assisted.
As a result, early-career professionals are taking on more complex investigations earlier in their careers.
Overall, Catalyst’s research points to a growing urge for employers and educators to “rethink what ‘job-ready’ means, how job readiness is assessed, and how early-career professionals can build and demonstrate the capabilities needed to succeed as AI changes traditional pathways into cybersecurity.”
AI is not eliminating early-career cybersecurity roles, the report concludes, but rather “reshaping the work, pathways, and opportunities through which the next generation of cybersecurity professionals develops experience.”
The Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst launched in 2018.
