By Paul Richards, Head Of Training & Assessment, The Cyber Scheme
Becoming an ethical hacker or penetration tester at practitioner level takes between three and twelve months, with gifted and talented or people already in a similar role having a head start. The candidate should never stop learning but there comes a point where they are reaching a level where the industry has marked as practitioner level, sometimes milestoned by gaining a qualification.
However long it takes, finding a learning method that works for the candidate is essential. Some like to self-study and are happy building labs and learning from the internet. Many web sites now offer excellent online resources and if that fits in with the candidates learning style that’s great. Some are free, most cost money; though nothing compared to the day rates of a cyber security consultant or penetration tester.
Some candidates will join a cyber company and be part of a graduate training scheme. This might contain various elements such as mentoring, self-study, online labs, etc. Some companies will also include a face-to-face element such as a training course. The training course does not make the three to twelve months learning journey null and void but adds a level of depth to the training by adding in specific hard to grasp subjects, patches gaps in knowledge and allows the candidate to learn in a way that suites them. It allows the candidate to network with candidates outside of the company and use technologies that maybe not available at home or in a small office environment. The cost to maintain good quality training rigs might be a reason doing all of the training in house isn’t an option. It’s not always cost effective to have your advanced practitioners non billable to mentor your juniors.
The practitioner course at the Cyber Scheme adds value to your graduate training program or to enhance the self-study of anyone aiming for practitioner level.
What makes us different is that our aim is to offer the best in cyber security training. That’s why we do it. We want to rase the bar and add value to the cyber security industry. Having enough skilled people in the sector really matters to the Cyber Scheme. With bespoke training labs, face-to-face training and mentoring we can simulate a smorgasbord of scenarios and situations to make the training engaging and exciting. We use our wealth of knowledge, with qualified teachers, qualified penetration testers and our proven track record in cyber security training.
A website won’t see when a candidate is struggling, and won’t be able to explain difficult concepts in ways which help a candidate grasp them. A video doesn’t know if the candidate is watching and paying attention. A website doesn’t go that extra mile to ensure understanding and depth of knowledge.
Our training has a series of follow along examples to mimic what good looks like in the cyber security industry. We set examples for the candidates to follow to prepare them for cyber security consultancy. We have formative and summative assessing methods to ensure that the candidate understands the topics in depth, and we build a learning plan to ensure the candidate has a road map to success beyond the classroom.
If you are on the journey or you have a graduate cyber training program, then please get in touch with The Cyber Scheme to see what we can do for you.