On the heels of significant growth in its security business, in January 2020 tech giant Microsoft announced its plans to open a cyber security center in Belfast and invest in the growth of its workforce.
More recently, in January 2021, Microsoft announced its security business surpassed $10 billion in revenue over the previous 12 months, representing 40 percent growth year-over-year. The number includes roughly 400,000 customers across 120 countries using its security, compliance, identity, and management solutions.
With its rapidly growing footprint in the world of security and the decision to locate the cyber security center in Northern Ireland, it was essential that the company was able to access new talent with the skills required for the new roles.
Darren Dillon, CTO for Azure Cloud in Microsoft’s Consulting Services division, said, “When the decision was made to locate the cyber security center here in Northern Ireland, we immediately started to consider the specialist skills that people would require to fill the roles. We also explored the concept of a dedicated training scheme to give people the opportunity to gain the skills needed to develop a career in cybersecurity.”
That was in 2019. Around the same time, while traveling aboard an international flight, Dillon came across a story about Northern Ireland. The article explained its efforts to modernize its reputation from a location with a shipbuilding past into a global business and technology hub. The efforts included attracting investment to the region through direct government support, including financial incentives and tailored overseas expansion guidance for companies looking to compete internationally.
This seems to have paid off. Northern Ireland – one of the four regions of the U.K. – is the No. 1 international investment location for US cybersecurity projects, according to data from the fDi Markets FT 2020 report, which also ranks the region and its capital city, Belfast, a top destination for global fintech and software development investment.
But what really caught Dillon’s eye was mention of a workforce training program for investors. He scheduled a call.
In 2011, the Northern Ireland government, in partnership with the region’s economic development agency Invest Northern Ireland, launched its Assured Skills program, a short, demand-led, pre-employment training program open to local or international companies that operate in Northern Ireland.
The company identifies a specific skills need, then works with local colleges and universities to develop training for approximately 20 participants at a time. Following the training period, the company interviews the candidates and can decide which to employ.
The program is 100% funded by the Northern Ireland government’s Department for the Economy, which also manages program recruitment and logistics. It is designed to upskill the local workforce by providing participants with up-to-date, industry-relevant skills, while also ensuring companies have access to appropriately qualified staff when they set up in Northern Ireland.
The Assured Skills program has successfully delivered more than 100 training academies for over 40 multinational companies, including Aflac, PwC and Deloitte, which all have established operations in the region.
Those big names were part of the draw for Microsoft, says Dillon. While the company has many existing new hire training programs internally, Northern Ireland’s highly skilled tech talent pool, combined with its location (one hour closer to the U.S. than much of Europe, Dillon says), English-speaking population, and innovative business environment, made the opportunity an attractive one.
And the speed of the Assured Skills program — normally just 6-8 weeks — felt more practical than the typical 7-8 months it would usually take for Microsoft to onboard a new cybersecurity employee, Dillon added.
“We were asking ‘What’s the catch?’” Dillon says. “We thought it was too good to be true. But then they introduced us to other companies who used the same approach and we could see the positive impact that it was driving. Furthermore, given how the program was structured, we just needed to commit our time.”
In January 2020, Microsoft announced the company was creating 85 new jobs to fill various cybersecurity roles. By March, Microsoft had selected 25 participants for its first Assured Skills Academy, held at Belfast Metropolitan College, after receiving more than 400 applications.
In the past, Dillon says Microsoft sought out candidates who boasted a strong background in computer science and several years of in-the-field experience. With Assured Skills, they rewired their approach — the Department for the Economy’s program team provided psychometric testing as part of the recruitment process to help pinpoint the right attributes of well-rounded candidates, instead of focusing solely on technical skill.
“We changed the type of profile we were looking for,” explains Dillon. “We were looking for people with strong empathy and analytical skills, as well as the aptitude to quickly absorb new pieces of information and apply it. In the security space, our consultants are working with some of Microsoft’s largest customers across Europe, Middle East and Africa on cybersecurity issues. You need to have the ability to get people to engage quickly, identify the source of an issue and, crucially, manage it quickly. It requires quick thinking and a calm approach.”
The participants included students with backgrounds in technology, marketing, the arts and trades, such as plumbing, and featured a range of ages and years of work experience. Dillon says seeing the high interest in cybersecurity was really exciting.
“There is a vibrant security culture here in Northern Ireland. We looked to hire people from varied backgrounds and we’ve been reaping the benefits since we opened the operations here just over a year ago.”
During the academy, participants receive a weekly training allowance, and funds for travel and childcare. Due to the pandemic, Microsoft’s academy was held virtually. Upon completion, every student earns a certificate and has the opportunity to interview with the company.
Out of 25 students, Microsoft hired 23 of them, with the remaining two securing positions with Microsoft partners. One benefit of recruiting candidates who had participated in the academy, says Dillon, is that they were very open to learning new and innovative technology processes. Previously, it could be difficult to train tech professionals who were seasoned at providing on-premise security solutions, but weren’t always adept at cloud computing.
“These students don’t have any baggage with the older ways of IT,” Dillon says. “They are solving problems with a different approach.”
With more hires on the table, Microsoft is planning future academies focused on Data Science & Analytics and DevOps. He credits the success of the Belfast office with the company’s close partnership with Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy, and the availability of the Assured Skills program.
“It’s similar to a Silicon Valley model in that it has a centralized ecosystem and a lot of cross pollination,” Dillon says of the thriving tech region. “We’re going to keep working with Invest Northern Ireland to help tailor programs so people can develop the skills required for in-demand roles. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Invest Northern Ireland is the economic development agency for Northern Ireland. They provide tailored international expansion advice to US companies scaling into Northern Ireland, including guidance on the business ecosystem, talent validation, financial incentives and soft landing support.