Cyber careers, training and events

Developing your career in cyber

Are you interested in a career in Cyber Security?

Cyber Security professionals come from a range of backgrounds, including strong technical roles in technology and network support, application design, policy development, organisational change management and communications, risk management, data analysis, problem management, or enterprise or solution architecture just to name a few.

Some of the variety of activities cyber security professionals do include:

  • working with the business to ensure cyber incident plans are in place and exercised regularly
  • raising awareness of cyber security, training staff on appropriate policy and workplace behaviours including day to day actions that they can take that ensure that the information they use is kept secure
  • ensuring that the business processes that use and modify information are designed with security in mind and that risks are identified and managed
  • ensuring systems that are developed or deployed have appropriate security architecture in place, including appropriate technical controls
  • configuring and managing application, network, and storage systems
  • resolving security incidents or analysing data looking for suspicious trends or events
  • testing systems to find and resolve vulnerabilities.

More than a specific background, to be successful in Cyber Security you need to have a passion for security and a desire to continually learn and develop new skills.

Follow the tabs below to discover what skills are behind our Cyber functional model.

This function provides leadership, management, direction or development and advocacy to enable the organisation to effectively conduct cyber security work.

What happens here?

This function provides leadership, management, direction or development and advocacy to enable the organisation to effectively conduct cyber security work.

What happens here?

This function conceptualises designs and builds systems and solutions with responsibility for development of secure system designs and architectures.

What happens here?

Below is a range of resources, services and information that  can help you develop your cyber career.

Cyber career resources

In addition to our Cyber Security functional model above, there are a range of resources you can explore. The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network hosts the AuCYBERSCAPE website which encourages you to explore career pathways and educational opportunities, and highlights the underpinning qualities we need in our cyber workforce – continuous learner, persistence, perception, inquisitiveness and excellent communication skills.

AUCyberExplorer is supported by AustCyber and provides an interactive map that allows you to see data about supply and demand for the ever expanding cyber skills marketplace or you can experiment with their explore career pathways tool to see what skills and certifications make up cyber roles. (Note: this is not meant to be an exhaustive or prescriptive list – plenty of people with no qualifications have made brilliant cyber warriors).

These are just a starting point, there are many more excellent sources of career pathway information. If you find one you think we should share with others, please contact cybersecurityunit@qld.gov.au and let us know!

Queensland Government cyber capability program

The CSU periodically offers training and events for agencies on various topics that are offered on a co-contribution basis, or zero cost. Use the links below to see what training is currently available and review previous training material. Please note these capability development program offerings have eligibility requirements (login to view).

See our Capability development services page for more details.

ISMS - capability opportunities

ISMS implementation training is available to Queensland Government departments, and is funded by the Cyber Security Unit to seed knowledge about ISMS’s. The course material is available from the ISMS page.

Cyber safety and working from home

Our ways of working have changed over the past few years out of necessity, with working from home in some capacity is now a part of life for most of our workforce. So what precautions should we all be taking as individual and departments to make ourselves as cyber safe as possible?

For your own safety

Are you concerned about your personal devices and accounts?

The Australian Cyber Security Centre leads the Australian Government's efforts to improve cyber security and provides userful resources and services to support your security. This includes guidance, how to report cyber crime, how to recover and get help and how to keep up to date with the latest threats and how to manage them.

IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity & cyber support service. They have helped thousands of Australian and New Zealand individuals and organisations reduce the harm they experience from the compromise and misuse of their identity information by providing effective response and mitigations. They have a range of excellent resources free for citizens to help build up their cyber literacy and safety.

Work safe practices

  • Cyber security essentials when working from home: The Australian Cyber Security Centre has released some proactive strategies to address cyber threats as more staff may be working from home, and the use of remote access technologies increases.
  • Microsoft Teams: Microsoft offer a free Microsoft Teams version for download for Desktop and mobile. Compatibility with Windows, Mac, Linux DEB, Linus RPM for Desktop, and iOS, Android for Mobile
  • Australian Cyber Security Centre: The Australian Cyber Security Centre provides free information on the latest online threats and scams. You can also sign up for a free alert service to keep up to date  on current online threats and how they can be managed.
  • Patching vulnerable systems: Review patching of priority systems and vulneratbilities by:
  • Patching home machines and keep critical systems patched: Cyber security at home starts with good practices. Some of these good practices are:

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.

Last Reviewed: 10 June 2022