Visa, a global payments technology company, has launched the Visa Payments Learning Programme designed to upskill employees, students, clients and military talent through training courses and certifications to support a sustainable and diverse talent pipeline. The initial focus of this programme is centered around payments cybersecurity, created in response to the White House National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan that calls on business to heighten pathways for individuals to get into cybersecurity as the call for skilled cyber professionals continues to increase, according to a company statement.
Currently available in the US with plans to expand globally, the Visa Payments Learning Programme comprises several cross-functional programmes to include Visa University, Visa’s Apprenticeship Programme and Visa’s Military Talent Programme to allow for diverse avenues of upskilling and creating new entry pathways for untapped communities through:
Visa’s Apprenticeship Programme: Through this programme, an initial cohort receives 16 weeks of specialist training, followed by a one-year apprenticeship, and will take part in the Visa’s Payments Cybersecurity Introductory Course. This apprenticeship provides on-the-job training to build technical and business skills needed to succeed as cyber professionals.
Visa’s Military Talent Programme: This programme recruits and hires military veterans, reservists and military spouses to provide them with training and re-skilling. By creating a pipeline of military-affiliated talent, Visa has an opportunity to provide training in areas such as payments cybersecurity that builds on their existing skillsets and rich diversity of experience.
“We have designed the Visa Payments Learning Programme with the initial focus on cybersecurity in response to the White House’s appeal for support of unique career pathways in cybersecurity,” said Subra Kumaraswamy, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Visa, in the statement.
In March 2023 alone, 41.9 million data records were compromised by cyberattacks across the world—a 951 per cent increase since March 2021. This has created a demand for cybersecurity talent across all industries, but demand outpaces supply with global cybersecurity job vacancies growing by 350 per cent, with 3.5 million unfilled roles in 2023, claimed the statement.
Jeremy Broome, Global Head – Talent, Visa, also said in the statement, “As a leader in consumer payments and an innovator in driving emerging payment solutions, Visa is well-positioned to be a leader on workforce development in critical areas such as payments cybersecurity. The Visa Payment Learning Programme will not only allow for diversification of our workforce through seeking untapped talent, but will actively foster a more equitable cybersecurity talent pipeline and industry.”