Lessons from Ireland on closing the cybersecurity talent gap

There are an estimated 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity roles worldwide as of 2025. That figure has remained steady since 2021, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

Some countries are trying new approaches to combat the cybersecurity talent shortage. In Ireland, micro-credential programs are helping to close the gap faster, according to a Forbes article by David Jones, VP, Technology Portfolio at IDA Ireland, the Irish Government’s inward investment promotion agency. These short, targeted learning modules are backed by national funding and designed in collaboration with the industry.

MicroCreds is an ambitious 5-year, €12.3 million project (2020-2025) led by the Irish Universities Association in partnership with seven IUA universities: University College Dublin, University College Cork, University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, University of Galway and Maynooth University.

The program contributed to nearly a 20 percent reduction in Ireland’s cybersecurity workforce shortage in just one year by investing in this kind of practical education.

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