Interdisciplinary Cyber Training

<< Background >>Cyber-attacks can damage company business' reputation and the trust customers have for the company. This could potentially lead to, loss of customers, loss of sales and reduction in profits. The effect of reputational damage can even impact on company suppliers, or affect relationships with partners, investors and other third parties involved in company business. It is necessary to invest in user training and education in the field of cyber security avoid attacks and develop awareness for a cyber strategy in own organization on an ongoing basis. Particularly small and medium sized companies (SME) are often the targets of attacks because cybersecurity aware training for both employers and employees as well as security measures are missing. Also, within VET it is necessary that educators/trainers and students are equipped with cybersecurity awareness and have some cybersecurity basic knowledge about reasons why cyberattacks happen and tools to act against them. So, the cybersecurity training needs of employers and employees of SMEs have been addressed within this project. Also, proposals for improving cybersecurity awareness training within VET have been done.<< Objectives >>It was indented, that through the implementation of InCyT activities, particularly the interdisciplinary digital training and e-mentoring programs in the field of cyber security employees and employees from the seven European project partner countries improve their cybersecurity awareness and known measures to prevent cyber-attacks. The cybersecurity competency framework developed within the project can be used by companies to describe and improve competencies and skills in order to develop a company's cybersecurity strategy. Also, knowledge of VET educators and students about cyber-attacks should be improved.<< Implementation >> Three transnational faces to face meetings in partner countries and a virtual meeting every month have been organized. Digital training in English and partner languages supported by a platform and e-mentoring has been organized and tested with about 200 participants. Dissemination activities have been done in all partner countries through conference presentations, press releases, social media, flyer in all partner countries, project website. Internal evaluation activities have been done (see Reports) which contributed to the improvement of project outputs. In each partner country a Multiply Event with VET students and educators has been organized in order to discuss how to use IncyT results to improve cybersecurity awareness in corresponding institutions.<< Results >>The outcomes of the project followed a corresponding methodology. So first a Cybersecurity Competence Framework providing a mechanism for companies and VET to describe the existing digital gaps in cybersecurity for professionals and not professionals, to summarize the existing training (courses), to identify opportunities for improvements of these by using interdisciplinarity and mentoring and by developing a learning and mentoring methodology. Secondly a digital interdisciplinary cybersecurity training program for SMEs supported by mentoring has been implemented and tested in all partner countries. Proposals for an adapted model for a VET special course and for a European model have been done after discussions within the Multiply Events with VET students and educators in each partner country. A digital platform in all project partner countries supported the training. For each of these outputs an output methodology and a Report has been produced. Six Newsletter describing the project activities have been developed and disseminated in all partner countries.Project Logo Project Web page, Project Leaflets-Brochure, Project posters, social media accounts are other results.