On Tuesday, 8 October, the kick-off meeting of the Taskforce Cybersecurity took place. This taskforce is part of the Human Capital Agenda (HCA) ICT. Representatives from the government, educational institutions and commercial sectors came together to tackle a shared challenge: promoting both the quantity and quality of cyber talent in the Netherlands. During a productive session, the first steps were taken towards concrete actions to achieve these goals.
Background of the taskforce
In May, a research report on the Dutch cybersecurity labour market was published. This report, drawn up by Platform Talent for Technology (PTvT) and Dialogic, showed a significant increase in the demand for cybersecurity expertise and included 12 recommendations to better align the demand for cybersecurity professionals with the supply of both private and public cybersecurity education. In response to these findings, a multi-year, standalone cybersecurity programme is being developed under the HCA ICT. PTvT and dcypher have been commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs to work together with the cybersecurity sector in shaping and facilitating the implementation of this programme.
The Taskforce Cybersecurity was established to define the strategic course and initiate concrete actions to increase the number of cybersecurity professionals in the coming years. This taskforce consists of motivated experts and representatives from the public-private cybersecurity sector. Additionally, these parties act as ambassadors to broadly promote the goals set out in the cybersecurity pillar.
Initial measures discussed
During the first meeting, the main objectives were outlined and prioritised within a timeline of the next 1-3 to 5 years. One of the first priorities on short-term is the development of a common language to guide both the education sector and the labour market. Collaboration between educational institutions and the business sector is crucial, both regionally and nationally.
The attendees unanimously agreed: high-quality cybersecurity education forms the foundation for achieving the stated goals. Furthermore, it is important to improve the visibility and attractiveness of careers in the cybersecurity profession. This will help to fully utilise available talent, which is another key measure high on the agenda.

Next steps
Several strategic sessions are planned for the remainder of this year. During these sessions, concrete measures will be aligned with the strategic objectives and the Taskforce will choose the most impactful actions and measures. Subsequently, working groups with various stakeholders will begin implementing these measures, including at the regional level. Together, we will build on existing initiatives and further strengthen the cybersecurity sector.

From left to right: Ben Kokkeler (PRIO), Sander Peters (dcypher), Onno Sidler (Oost Brabant Politie), Kàto Vierbergen (VNG), Pascal Hollman (SBB), Fokko Dijksterhuis (NCC-NL), Martijn Neef (Ministry of Economic Affairs), Fadime Keçe (Ministry of Economic Affairs), Abderrahman Taibi (Ministry of Economic Affairs), Bibi van den Berg (ACCSS), Jelmer Schreuder (NLdigital), Aart Dekkers (dcypher) and Ahmed Failly (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science).
The following people are missing from the photo: Martijn Dekker (CISO Circle of Trust), Timon Domela Nieuwenhuis Nyegaard (VNG), Liesbeth Holterman (CVNL), Bart Pieters (Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations), Sandra van Steenvelt (HBO-i), Alejandra Reynaldos (PTvT), Daniël Bischoff van Heemskerck (PTvT) and Quirine Munnich (dcypher).