From 5th to 7th of October, Ireland will be hosting the National Cybersecurity Conference of the Irish EU Presidency, bring together senior representatives from government, EU institutions, industry, academia and the wider European cyber security community to examine the most significant cyber security challenges and opportunities facing Europe.
FIT (Fastrack into Information Technology) will be actively driving the conversation on how Irish business leaders can build, scale and retain resilient, job-ready cyber teams in this AI-driven era.
On Stage: Shaping Strategic Talent Pathways
FIT’s Senior Tech Apprentice Officer, Jessica McKeown, will be part of two pivotal sessions across the three days, diving into critical strategies for addressing the cybersecurity talent shortage, developing early-career pathways, and equipping tech teams with the skills needed to protect our critical digital infrastructure.
Horizontal Working Party | Monday, 5th October at 3:30pm
- The focus will be on how state-backed early talent pipelines directly address critical skill shortages. She will showcase FIT’s Cybersecurity Apprenticeship model as a proven, scalable solution.
Inclusive Pathways to Careers and Leadership in Cybersecurity Panel | Wednesday, 7th October at 11am
- Jessica will join industry leaders to highlight how Tech Apprenticeships serve as a powerful vehicle for gender diversity. She will detail how FIT actively creates pathways for women in tech—from dedicated initiatives like i-FIT (FIT’s targeted female tech apprenticeship intakes) to community outreach and pre-apprenticeship bridging programs—ensuring enterprise teams gain the diverse problem-solving perspectives required for modern cyber defense.
The FIT team will be exhibiting across Tuesday, October 6th, and Wednesday, October 7th on the main expo floor. If you’re attending, drop by the FIT stand to learn how leading Irish employers use our government-backed Tech Apprenticeship model to:
- Upskill Internal Talent
- Boost in-house cyber capabilities
- Boost retention
- Increase diversity
Learn more about the event and see the full agenda here.
