Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) is the first member to join the New Zealand arm of the Palo Alto Networks
Cybersecurity Academy, which has been set up to provide technology and resources to help equip students with the
next-generation cybersecurity knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in today’s rapidly changing cyber-threat
landscape.
At a global level, 70% of cybersecurity professionals claim that their organisation is impacted by the cybersecurity
skills shortage, which is showing a general lack of improvement in recent years and reflects an increasing workload on
existing cybersecurity staff, long-standing open jobs, an increase in hiring and training junior personnel, and an
inability to learn or utilise security technologies to their full potential.
“The cybersecurity challenges posed by today’s digital society mean we have an ever-increasing need for advanced skills
in this area. Teaming up with Unitec will help develop the next generation of cybersecurity talent and bridge the skills
gap in New Zealand. At Palo Alto Networks, our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one
before. We hope this initiative helps enable cybersecurity enthusiasts to continue studying, learning and expanding
their knowledge, contributing towards a future career,” says Misti Landtroop, managing director for Palo Alto Networks
New Zealand.
The Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy provides students with the knowledge and skills to be prepared for a
successful career in cybersecurity. It offers faculty training, hands-on labs, modularised curricula and virtual
firewalls for use in Unitec's New Zealand’s Diploma in Cybersecurity (Level 6), and will supply content for micro
credential courses that will upskill and reskill full time workers through a series of short courses.
In addition, upon completing the course, each student will be eligible as either a Palo Alto Networks Certified
Cybersecurity Entry-Level Technician or a Certified Network Security Administrator.
“As the workforce grapples with immense change this year, Unitec remains heavily focused on strategic industry
collaborations that equip our students with the most up-to-date real-world intelligence, as well as the hardware and
tools to support knowledge development,” says Dila Beisembayeva, Lead of Unitec’s Centre for Digital Innovation and
Skills.
“We’re honoured to be the first educational institute to join the Academy and look forward to the benefits it can
provide to students throughout the network of ITP subsidiaries.”
Since Palo Alto Networks launched the Cybersecurity Academy program in 2014, it has grown to include more than 1,100
partner institutions in over 70 countries worldwide.
-ends-About Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy
Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy is an endeavour by Palo Alto Networks to work with degree-granting, nationally
accredited secondary or post-secondary academic institutions interested in teaching the company’s next-generation
technology to their students. The Cybersecurity Academy works with academic institutions and instructors to prepare
students for exciting careers in the rapidly growing areas of cloud, network, and infrastructure security.
The collaboration with Unitec will also help students connect to supplementary Palo Alto Networks certifications that
follow Unitec courses, including PCCET, PCNSA, and PCNSE.
Palo Alto Networks and the Palo Alto Networks logo are trademarks of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. in the United States and
in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein
belong to their respective owners.About Unitec
Unitec Institute of Technology (Unitec) is part of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology; New
Zealand’s largest tertiary education provider and is a leader in adopting modern teaching and training approaches to
prepare its students for success in the jobs of the future. Unitec offers employment focused education, from
certificates through to Masters, across a wide range of professional and vocational areas. It also partners with major
business and service organisations to align its vocational learning closely to industry needs.