Rwanda is moving to introduce cybersecurity training at the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) level, opening an earlier pathway into a field facing a shortage of skilled professionals while strengthening the skills needed to protect the country’s expanding digital ecosystem.

The move has taken a first step with 24 TVET teachers—the first cohort trained under the initiative—completing a 10-day Training of Trainers programme to support the rollout of cybersecurity courses in TVET schools, according to the organisers.

The teachers received their certificates on Thursday, September 3, at the Cyber Hub Academy, a cybersecurity center of excellence, located at the University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technology (UR-CST) campus in Kigali, following training conducted through a partnership between the Rwanda TVET Board (RTB), National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA) and International Labour Organization (ILO), with support from the Government of Luxembourg.

The initiative seeks to extend cybersecurity training beyond tertiary education into the TVET system, including at high-school level, as Rwanda works to build an early pipeline of skilled professionals for its growing digital economy. David Kanamugire, Chief Executive Officer of NCSA, said the initiative responds to a shortage of skilled people in the cybersecurity industry.

"Our vision is to make sure that we address critical digital skills that are particularly emerging,” he said, indicating that cybersecurity has the potential to create well-paying employment opportunities for young people. Fatima Sirelkhatim, the ILO project manager, said the initiative was designed around labour-market needs while ensuring the training becomes embedded in Rwanda’s education system for sustainable pathways for youth employment.

"It's important for us that it's demand-driven, which our research shows is the case, but also that it's embedded within national systems,” she said. The cybersecurity development programme is part of the wider ILO project, Boosting Decent Jobs and Enhancing Skills for Youth in Rwanda’s Digital Economy, funded by Government of Luxembourg and implemented by the ILO in partnership with its tripartite constituents: Governments, workers and employers’ organisations.

Why Luxembourg is interested

For Luxembourg, cybersecurity is closely linked to protecting key sectors of its economy, making skills development in the field an area of cooperation with Rwanda.

Charlotte Helminger, Chargée d’affaires e.p. of Luxembourg to Rwanda, said Luxembourg’s economy depends heavily on finance, data and connectivity, all of which require strong cybersecurity systems.

"This means that cybersecurity for us is not just a side subject, but is very much what keeps those three key economic sectors of Luxembourg alive and safe,” she said.

Luxembourg’s cybersecurity ecosystem includes more than 300 companies and ecosystem players, according to Helminger, creating potential for cooperation and future opportunities for people trained in the field. She challenged the teachers to turn the knowledge gained during the programme into practical lessons when they return to their schools.

"You have dedicated 10 days of your life now to learning something new. The next step is to go back to your schools and to actually teach the material. And I think that will be most likely the hardest part of this exercise,” she said.

Taking cybersecurity to TVET schools

The training builds on a 200-hour cybersecurity curriculum developed under this partnership, informed by an occupational analysis and validated with the private sector, TVET and academia experts.

The curriculum has been endorsed by RTB management. The 24 teachers, drawn from Kigali and districts targeted by the project, are expected to support its rollout in their respective schools. It will initially be piloted in two TVET schools, reaching 60 students.

Once the lessons learned are reflected, cybersecurity could eventually become an additional TVET trade.

Paul Umukunzi, Director General of RTB, said the trained teachers now have to put what they learnt into practice. RTB is also working to strengthen the practical infrastructure needed to support cybersecurity training.

"We are working to establish cyber hubs in some of the schools,” he said. Ghislaine Kayigi, NCSA Chief Cybersecurity Standards Officer, said the teachers represent the first cohort trained under the initiative to teach cybersecurity in RTB technical schools.

She said the Training of Trainers programme is part of a wider effort to develop and scale cybersecurity education in TVET schools, allowing students to gain foundational knowledge before pursuing further studies or careers in the field. "Because it's a new field in Rwanda, we need more people and youth skilled in cyber security,” Kayigi said.

The initiative is designed to introduce cybersecurity further down the education system rather than leaving students to encounter the field for the first time at university.

"It's not waiting for the university, but can we start at the level of TVET, high school, why not later at primary level?” she said.

Kayigi said the 10-day training was an introduction and that the teachers would continue developing their skills as the programme expands.

Teachers take skills back to classrooms

Arthur Tumukunde, a teacher at ACEJ Karama Technical Secondary School in Muhanga District, said training teachers was necessary to ensure the skills reach students.

"So, for us to fill the gap of cyber security, they have trained the teachers because we are also going to transfer the knowledge and skills that we have gained from this training to our students back where we work,” Tumukunde said.

The training included practical exercises on cyber threat analysis, phishing identification and prevention, cybersecurity awareness, password best practices, among others. Tumukunde said the practical sessions improved the teachers’ ability to identify common threats.

"We can now identify the phishing emails,” he said.

Benitha Agiraneza, a teacher at Ecole Technique Saint Kizito Musha in Rwamagana District, said the training strengthened her understanding of topics she had previously found difficult to teach. She said the hands-on component also broadened her knowledge and practical experience.