Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global leader dedicated to powering Digital Freedom, has announced its pledge to the European Commission’s Cybersecurity Skills Academy within the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform aimed at addressing the critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Gen will partner with Women4Cyber, a nonprofit foundation supporting the participation of women in cybersecurity, to provide free mentorship to women across Europe in an effort to help grow their careers in cybersecurity.  

“As a global leader in Cyber Safety, Gen’s mission is to create solutions that enable people to navigate their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently. As part of this mission, we are also deeply invested in closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the European Union and globally,” said Vincent Pilette, CEO of Gen. “We highly value the opportunity to join forces with other organizations like Women4Cyber in order to support women in improving their cybersecurity skills and advancement of their careers at all levels.” 

The size of the global cybersecurity workforce is an estimated 5.5 million people, with the need for another 4 million professionals*. Additionally, only 22% of the current cybersecurity workforce is women*. Gen will support programs like the Women4Cyber Mentorship Programme, where women mentees are paired with cybersecurity professionals to help develop and refine their technical skills while also providing career guidance and networking opportunities.  

"I’m thrilled that we are able to continue our collaboration with Gen through this official pledge on the EU Cybersecurity Skills Academy. This shows not only our strong partnership but our joint commitment to providing tangible support to the professional development of women in the cybersecurity industry,” says Nina Olesen, COO of Women4Cyber. “With the help of experienced mentors and dedicated networking activities, women will be equipped with the tools to navigate their journey in cybersecurity while opening doors within the job market. I hope that the program will serve as a catalyst for mentorship and onboarding of young talent in cyber at scale." 

Gen first partnered with Women4Cyber in 2022. Since then, over 700 European women have participated in their mentorship programs, many of them mentored directly by Gen team members, with hundreds of more attending other Women4Cyber events, webinars and the annual W4C Conference. Gen has also partnered with other organizations to support women in tech, including Czechitas in the Czech Republic and the nasscom foundation in India. 

More information about Gen’s pledge to the European Commission’s Digital Skills and Jobs Platform and cooperation with Women4Cyber can be found on our blog: https://www.gendigital.com/blog/impact/community/tech-gendergap.

*ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 2023 

About Gen 

Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its trusted Cyber Safety brands, Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender and CCleaner. The Gen family of consumer brands is rooted in providing safety for the first digital generations. Now, Gen empowers people to live their digital lives safely, privately, and confidently today and for generations to come. Gen brings award-winning products and services in cybersecurity, online privacy and identity protection to nearly 500 million users in more than 150 countries. Learn more at www.GenDigital.com.