Tech experts revealed that China is not training anywhere near enough IT workers to deal with digital threats issues at the country's largest cyber security event Tuesday.
"As of 2014, China has more than 700,000 cyber security talents working in key information system and infrastructure industries. By 2020, China will need about 1.4 million cyber security talents. In the last three years, we have recruited about 10,000 students pursuing cyber security, but we are hugely lagging behind demand," Feng Huamin, vice president of the Beijing Electronic Science and Technology Institute, said at a plenary session during China Cybersecurity Week held in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province on Tuesday.
As China is launching a national push to train more cyber security talents, many top universities have started to offer cyberspace-related majors since 2015.
Vice Minister of Education Lin Huiqing said at a press conference in February that the number of new university majors involving cyber security, information countermeasures and confidential data management has surpassed 120 and other cyberspace-related majors have exceeded 4,800.
However, many cyber security experts at the Wuhan event pointed out that only a small proportion of China's schools offer such courses and there is a lack of qualified instructors, calling for the country to quickly establish a systematic discipline on cyber security education and promote more practical training.
No systematic method
At the session, Feng said that China now needs more cyber security talents working in several sectors, including those working in Party and government systems; in key infrastructure and information systems; and in combating cybercrimes and cyber terrorism.
Statistics show that China has 3,115 teachers involved in information security education but only 7 percent of them are classed as high-level talents.
Feng pointed out that only 10 percent of the 1,200 Chinese technology and science universities offer related majors while over 100 leading universities do not. Besides, only 15 Chinese universities have established cyber security schools and there is no systematic method for cyber security education.
In June 2015, China's State Council released a notice, demanding the quick establishment of a cyber security discipline and the cultivation of cyber security talents.
Moreover, Feng noted that a lack of practical training and high-quality instructors are also two highly important problems.
Ernest McDuffie, former director of the U.S. National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education program, said at the Wuhan conference that he has not met many college students who have an interest in studying cyber security and the growth rate of global cyber security talents in 2015 was under their expectation.
Greater investment
Shen Changxiang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, suggested China open classes to train minors and offer chances for special talents to study cyber security at college without taking the national college entrance examinations.
The Wuhan government has pledged to double the number of scholarships for cyber security majors and recruit top cyber security graduates from Chinese and overseas schools as well as the winners of cyber security contests. It will also open a class for minors and run special recruitment drives for "maverick geniuses."
Moreover, the city government will establish a new evaluation system. Instead of taking exams, cyber security majors will be evaluated based on their performance and priority will be given to those with practical and entrepreneurship experience.
As for cultivating first-class instructors, the Wuhan government vowed to offer twice the salary and research funds to the best cyber security experts compare to those working in similar positions.
Specifically, they will also receive 2 million yuan ($299,823) in subsidies and up to 100 million yuan in funding if they have innovative technologies that have a significant impact on the economy.
Mengchow Kang, board member of the Information Security Certification, called for the standardization of cyber security workforce development.
With such a system, cyber security talents, no matter where they are working, could get recognized with an international qualification, said Kang.
In February, China launched its first special fund for cyber security with initial capital of 300 million yuan to realize the nation's strategic goal of becoming a strong Internet power.
The fund, established by the China Internet Development Foundation, will be used to provide financial assistance to experts and teachers who specialize in cyber security.
