After the amazing Q&A with Zoe, our Manager of Careers and Partnerships for the Cybersecurity for Energy Program, where she shared insights on the job market, and valuable tips for learners in our article: Career Coach Q&A: Hidden job market, networking and resume success, we couldn’t resist coming back for more!
We wanted to learn from Zoe how this program benefits the employers interested in upskilling their workforce or who want to hire graduates of this program.
While there are many cybersecurity certificates and options available for upskilling, not many programs focus specifically on the energy sector. Our program is built with the advice, input, and expertise from top energy companies which really makes us unique, and gives us a lot of valuable insight into what is in demand within the energy sector. By integrating this feedback into our curriculum, it helps our program accurately prepare learners to go directly into energy! Unlike other upskilling courses, our program supports the transition into the workforce and makes sure to give every participant that extra support, not only in upskilling their abilities but also in navigating that job search for a successful transition into energy.
This program thrives in producing hands-on-skills, and making sure it's not just theory being taught. We give learners the opportunity to experience building out some of the assessments, and go through the actual process to feel what that impact is. We also give them feedback from their skills coaches, who are subject matter experts and individuals who have been in this field for a long time. Completing the assessments, getting hands-on experience, and building these projects is the closest thing to real-world experience, and truly helps them prepare to transition this experience into their job.
In my role, I work closely with people to make sure they are developing additional skills to make a successful transition into the workforce and into energy companies. Enhancing their soft skills and preparing for that job search, are all important for making sure learners are prepared to be a great team member, and is something we continue to work closely on to build in this community. While the program focuses on building technical skills, we focus on helping learners prepare to integrate into a team and use their problem-solving skills and time management organization, to help make them the best fit for their role, and an ideal candidate for the energy sector.
The courses and badges in our program are all skills-verified through our company partnerships and ensure these companies are recognizing what is being learned within the program and which skills are being enhanced. Cybersecurity is a fast-changing and advancing industry, which makes building out your skill set essential. By encouraging candidates to add these skills to their resumes, we help them stand out in the applicant pool and gain qualifications that are specifically relevant to the energy industry. Additionally, this allows learners to be a better match for companies within the energy industry due to their relevant experience and tailored certifications, that position them as the ideal hire for employers.
Absolutely! In my role, I work closely with employers to create or find any kind of networking or job opportunities for the learners. We've supported learners by hosting energy-focused panels featuring professionals in the energy industry. This is a way for energy companies to promote their brand and generate interest in their companies, as well as clarify their ideal candidate profiles. These events are great opportunities for recruitment, and let companies share with learners what they’re looking for, the skills in demand, and how to best stand out in your application.
I also encourage employers to connect with us at any time if they are interested in doing an employer’s spotlight, are currently hiring, and want to connect with the learners. My role works directly with our partners and employers to organize these interactions and facilitate events that help employers promote their business. Facilitating these opportunities for engagement allows learners to view different companies across the energy sector, and give employers a chance to showcase their brand and business to potential candidates.
But of course! We always welcome feedback and are always looking to change and improve as needed. With the energy industry always advancing, so are we to keep up with the latest trends and demand. If employers have any feedback or reviews they want to share, I strongly encourage them to reach out and contact me at zoe@talentready.ca anytime. We are happy to have businesses review our curriculum, and welcome them to send their employees for upskilling, whenever they see it necessary. Most feedback occurs from businesses sending employees to take the course and share their feedback afterwards, or providing insights once they’ve hired a learner from us. If there is any additional information they would like to share with us about the hiring experience and the learner’s skill set, we’d be glad to receive that information, too.
I would love to once again share that we have incredible learners come through our program. Most of our learners have very strong backgrounds in information technology (IT), and specifically, cybersecurity, as they’re eager to join the energy sector and expand their knowledge to make an impact in that industry. If businesses are interested in hiring, we always welcome and are happy to share candidate profiles and connect them with our learners to help them get a better understanding of what they can do for them. Each of our learners are very skilled and capable, strong applicants, and we hope businesses consider them as they transition into the workforce.
Once again we gained valuable insight from our conversation with Zoe, giving us a fresh perspective on our program! If you have any questions or inquiries, reach out to Zoe at zoe@talentready.ca or contact us here at Talent.
Ready to upskill your workforce for the energy industry? Inspire your team to enrol in our Cybersecurity for Energy Program today.