Australia is going to need a small army of cybersecurity experts over the next decade and recruitment of them will now be much easier.
A pair of new nationally accredited TAFE courses are on offer to students around the country from the next semester, which starts in a few weeks.
The industry-led Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber), a driving force behind setting up the course, has also organised for major companies including Telstra and the big four banks to offer traineeships and work experience as part of the certificate IV and advanced diploma courses.
Cybersecurity Minister Angus Taylor said this should be heard as a call out to every young Australian interested in technology.
"The crooks are on your phone and they're in your home, if you're not aware and you're not looking after all your IT gear, your phones and so on," he told reporters at the Canberra launch.
AustCyber estimates the nation will need between 11,000 and 26,000 new workers in the field over the next decade.
Chief executive Craig Davies says he's already constantly asked if he knows someone to fill a particular role for one company or another and where to find training.
"The shortage of skills and people is real... Businesses across Australia are crying out for people in this space," he told the launch of the new courses at Parliament House on Thursday.
Assistant Minister for Vocational Education Karen Andrews said at present Australia didn't have the skilled workforce needed to deal with the challenges in the area.
While there are university-level courses on offer, there is a need for people at all different skill levels and the TAFE courses can lead to jobs in areas like security operations, testing and policy and process development.
It's expected about 200 people will enrol in the new year-long courses across the nation in 2018 and while that may seem a long way from the 11,000 workers needed, Mr Davies said the industry had to build momentum.
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