Europe’s cybersecurity skills shortage just got a major boost from an unexpected source. Kyndryl, the enterprise technology services giant, has signed the European Commission’s Cybersecurity Skills Academy Pledge, committing to train 25,000 individuals across the EU by 2030. This isn’t just another corporate social responsibility initiative—it’s a strategic response to the growing threat landscape that’s reshaping how we think about digital defense.
European Commission initiative addresses critical cybersecurity skills gap
This is a major step in the effort to fill the lack of cybersecurity talent in the European market, given that cyberthreats are becoming more complex and widespread. However, Kyndryl has pledged to support the European Cybersecurity Skills Academy, particularly in underserved communities in the European Union. The company’s charitable foundation, Kyndryl Foundation, will donate grants to not-for-profit entities that are driving local efforts in Spain, Czechia, Hungary, and Poland.
This collaboration is well-timed, given the critical juncture that has arrived, when traditional models for ensuring cybersecurity are no longer sufficient to keep up with the rising level of threats. The European Commission’s undertaking is in recognition that it not only requires technology to create cyber resilience, but it also requires a talented workforce that can handle more complex challenges.
Foundation Grants Reach Underserved Populations in Four Countries
The Kyndryl Foundation has already made grants to nonprofits that enabled them to reach more than 49,000 individuals through cybersecurity education, training, and awareness. The foundation’s grants for the year 2025 target the lack of professionals in the cybersecurity workforce through training and employment, and enhancing nonprofits’ resilience for cyber education and consulting services.
AI-powered threats demand new cybersecurity workforce capabilities
Kyndryl partners with the European Commission to boost cybersecurity training isn’t just about filling existing roles—it’s about preparing for an entirely new threat landscape. According to Kris Lovejoy, Kyndryl’s Global Security and Resiliency Leader, adversaries are now deploying AI agents that learn, adapt, and coordinate in real-time, often faster than traditional defenses can respond.
The ever-changing threat environment is currently characterized by advanced AI-powered attacks that require a paradigm shift from tactical and reactive to strategic, where professionals will need advanced knowledge in AI governance, risk, and critical thinking. Amidst the automation of repetitive tasks, professionals in the field will also need to adapt, supervising autonomous systems that actively respond to decisions on security and threats.
“Cybersecurity is foundational to a secure digital economy. Through the European Commission’s Cybersecurity Skills Academy, we are supporting education initiatives that help individuals and organizations build their cybersecurity capabilities.”
The important skills for the AI age include:
- Understanding AI behavior: Administration of autonomous security networks
- Digital Identity Management: Securing AI agents and interactions
- Observability Systems: Observing AI Decision-Making
- Governance frameworks: Compliance and trust in automated systems
Strategic workforce transformation addresses industry disruption challenges
The imperatives for upskilling people in the cybersecurity domain can no longer remain optional. Organizations are required to prepare their workforce for new skills that range from grasping AI behavior, digital identity for autonomous agents, to designing an observability system that observes AI’s decision-making process. Organizations that can adjust to change will learn how to leverage Industry Disruptions for strategic advantage, while late movers will get consumed by forces beyond them and their unintended consequences of autonomy in their various systems.
Kyndryl’s collaboration with the European Commission is workforce development steroids—It’s an investment in the digital future of Europe. The training of 25,000 people to counter AI-powered threats and autonomous security measures is a solution addressing both short-term skill needs and long-term cybersecurity issues. The underserved community approach ensures that cyber resilience is made available to the masses through heterogeneous populations, securing the wide digital ecosystem.