Compulsory Internet Diploma for Youth to Secure Dutch Digital Economy

To secure the Dutch digital economy it is necessary to be cyber aware as young as possible. Yesterday Eelco Blok from KPN in his role as co-chairman of the Cyber Security Council handed over an advise that stated that the youth should obtain a compulsory Internet Diploma in the nearby future.

The council warned against poor knowledge among youths about cyber threats. They stressed that basic cyber security skills should become part of every education. But even more importantly there is a qualitative and quantitative lack of well-educated youths to satisfy the growing demand for security talent. When not investing enough in cybersecurity skills it could eventually influence the Dutch welfare and society in a negative way.

As part of the Alert Online campaign, HSD contributes to cyber security knowledge access among youths with a child debate on online security in cooperation with KPN and Deloitte today on 3 November.

Competitive Advantage
Dick Schoof, National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, expressed his concerns about the increasing amount of cyber criminality. ‘’The dynamic approach of cyber criminals asks for new skills to deal with digital threats’’. The objective of the Internet Diploma is to structurally train the youth for our digital society. Pupils would learn to deal with ICT, digital media and personal digital data. According to Dick Schoof the Internet Diploma can create an economic advantage. ‘’When digital knowledge is included in Dutch education, the Netherlands would be the first in the world to do so. This can lead to a competitive advantage’’.

Read the official press release in Dutch