On its first day, the 24th WRNP hosted the launch of the Hackers do Bem, program, an initiative that aims to train young people free of charge to work in the area of cybersecurity and privacy. The program is a partnership between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) with RNP, Senai and the Association for the Promotion of Excellence in Brazilian Software (Softex).

The launch ceremony was held on the main stage of the event. The general director of RNP, Nelson Simões, the substitute secretary for Applied Technologies of the MCTI, Henrique de Oliveira Miguel, the Quality coordinator of Softex, Ana Oliveira, and the director general of Senai-SP, Ricardo Figueiredo Terra, took part.

“This is a fundamental initiative. We have been working in security for many years. And we know that we are far short of what we can and need to create in Brazil to build a security culture. It was with great pleasure that we started, even in the past, to discuss this long-term vision of having a competence training program in this area”, explained Simões.

The expectation is that Hackers do Bem will help reduce the deficit of quality professionals in the cybersecurity area. RNP estimates that there are more than 300,000 vacancies that are not filled due to lack of manpower.

In his speech, Henrique de Oliveira Miguel reinforced the seriousness of the situation with the lack of human resources in the ICT sector. He also invited all interested parties to contribute to the program. “It is a pilot project. Hackers do Bem admits all kinds of interested participants. All the experience that comes to add, that brings more quality, more training, more coping with added technology will really be very welcome”, he highlighted. 

In total, training is divided into five modules: leveling, basic, fundamental, specialized and technological residency. In its first phase, RNP intends to recruit at least 30 thousand students.

“We want to build, in the next three years, a capacity on a large scale, training thousands of students from secondary level. It is an ambitious program. It is based not only on qualification, but also on experimentation. We now have this challenge and a whole road ahead of us for the training of these human resources”, emphasized the general director of RNP.

The courses offered will be academically coordinated by the Escola Superior de Redes (ESR), RNP's teaching unit, and Senai-SP. Renato Terra thanked Senai for being part of the initiative and said he was happy with the launch of Hackers do Bem. "This is a bold program. I am very happy to know that a program of this magnitude is being installed in the country and I am sure that on Senai's side you will have our greatest commitment", he declared.

Softex will be responsible for coordinating the program. “This topic will never lose relevance, quite the contrary. The more time passes, the more challenges arise in this area”, said Ana Oliveira.

Resources for the program come from the ICT Law, through the Priority National Innovation Program (PPI). The law allows generating financial credits from the investment of companies in the sector in research, development and innovation. In total, R$ 30 million will be allocated to the initiative.

The focus of Hackers do Bem is students from technical, secondary, higher education, and professionals looking to specialize or change careers. The program also aims to create a national cybersecurity hub, a network designed to generate value for those participating in the initiative and for the security ecosystem as a whole.