The Wills College CyberSecurity program has long been held as the gold-standard program in Ottawa for training CyberSecurity professionals. However we can now hold another important feather in our cap: providing CyberSecurity Training for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Department of National Defence (DND). 

On September 7, 2021 11 Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics (CFSCE) graduates became the first group of Cyber Operators that have been fully trained as members of the Cyber Operator occupation. Willis College was honoured to provide that training to these talented individuals. 

“This is a momentous achievement for these eleven students as they complete some of the most intensive and comprehensive CyberSecurity training available. Willis College is honoured to be the only college currently offering this training to the Canadian Armed forces. Willis continues to provide this training to their best and brightest, and we are excited to continue this partnership into the future keeping Canadians safe from cyber threats.” Henry Devlin, President and CEO, Willis college 

DND / CAF students underwent 60 weeks of training at Willis College’s celebrated Ottawa Campus, and twelve weeks at CFSCE. Newly graduated, all 11 are expected to be posted to the Canadian Forces Network Operation Centre where they will begin working as Cyber Defence Analysts.

“Our Ottawa campus enjoys a well earned reputation for providing excellence in CyberSecurity training and it was fantastic to partner with the CAF and DND on this exciting project. We have already started a second class of trainees and we expect great things to continue to come from this continuing relationship.” Manuel Hernandez, Ottawa Campus Director, Willis College. 

In their new roles at CyberSecurity Operators, graduates will be identifying indicators of compromise, collecting, examining, analyzing cyber alerts, and creating technical reports on cyber alerts. We are excited to see this program continue and are honoured to have played a role in keeping our nation safe. 

Congratulations to all of the graduates!