Fortinet®, the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, today announced the rollout of its Security Awareness and Training Service: Education Edition curriculum across all primary and secondary schools in Australia.  

Rob Keast, Partnership Development Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Fortinet Training Institute at Fortinet, said, “Technology is increasingly embedded in every aspect of our daily lives. Building cyber resilience starts with early education and Fortinet is committed to equipping students and educators with the skills they need to operate safely and responsibly online. The launch of Fortinet’s curriculum in Australian classrooms is a demonstration of Fortinet’s commitment to building a more secure digital future.” 

The service is offered at no cost and delivers foundational digital safety skills directly into the classroom, equipping students with the knowledge needed to safely navigate an increasingly connected world. The curriculum launch coincides with Fortinet’s presence at the 2025 Australian Independent Schools (AIS) New South Wales (NSW) ICT Management and Leadership Conference – Digital Directors, where the company is showcasing the initiative and its broader commitment to cybersecurity training in the education sector. 

Building Cyber Resilience in the Classroom

The Security Awareness and Training Service: Education Edition service has been specifically developed for classroom delivery, combining expert-led content with an engaging format to drive lasting behaviour change. Key service features include: 

• Age-appropriate curriculum: modules aligned with primary and secondary education standards. 
• Interactive delivery: videos, activities, and assessments designed to capture student attention. 
• Educator-ready materials: comprehensive lesson plans and teaching resources for seamless implementation. 
• Gamified learning: built-in incentives to support knowledge retention and encourage participation. 

This nationwide student curriculum rollout will first launch in South Australia and complements Fortinet’s earlier implementation of its Security Awareness and Training service for all staff in South Australia’s government schools. Delivered in partnership with the Department for Education in South Australia, the initiative aims to strengthen cybersecurity awareness and capabilities for more than 15,500 users. 

In addition, Fortinet’s Security Awareness and Training service: Education Edition is available at no cost to all public and private school teachers and administrators across Australia, further supporting the development of a safer digital learning and cyber-aware school environment.  

Tackling the Cyber Skills Gap Early

Building cyber resilience starts with early education. Equipping students with critical awareness from a young age is a proactive step in narrowing the global cybersecurity skills gap before it impacts future workforce readiness. Findings from the Fortinet 2024 Security Awareness and Training Global Research Report underscore this need: 

• 56 per cent of IT leaders report a lack of organisational or employee security awareness 
• 97 per cent of decision-makers believe more training and awareness would help reduce cyberattacks. 

By building foundational cybersecurity knowledge early, students gain the practical skills to identify and respond to online threats, while schools foster the development of a more secure future workforce. 

Training Support for the Broader Education Community

The Security Awareness and Training Service: Education Edition is part of the broader Fortinet Training Institute, which aims to close the cybersecurity skills gap by providing access to industry-recognised training and resources. Initiatives include: 

• free online Network Security Expert (NSE) certification training for professionals 
• free cybersecurity technical curriculum for higher education institutions through academic partnerships 
• education outreach programs to promote diversity in cybersecurity and scale learning across regions and levels. 

These programs contribute to Fortinet’s global pledge to train one million people in cybersecurity by the end of 2026. 

Rob Keast, Partnership Development Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Fortinet Training Institute at Fortinet, is attending the 2025 AIS NSW ICT Management and Leadership Conference – Digital Directors. He is onsite to speak with education leaders, share insights from early adopters, and demonstrate the platform’s impact in classrooms. 

“Cybersecurity is no longer a subject reserved for IT classes; it’s an essential life skill. Fortinet’s security awareness curriculum makes it easy for teachers to introduce complex concepts in an engaging, age-appropriate way. It gives educators the confidence and tools to lead important conversations about online safety, while helping students build the digital awareness they’ll need throughout their education and future careers.”Sarah Hollinshead, Interdisciplinary Technologies Coordinator, Australian Science and Mathematics School

“Fortinet’s goal is to make cybersecurity a fundamental skill for students, teachers, and school communities. The Security Awareness and Training Service: Education Edition represents a meaningful step toward building digital confidence in the education sector, combining no-cost access with flexible delivery and teacher support.” Rob Rashotte, Vice President, Fortinet Training Institute at Fortinet

About Fortinet (www.fortinet.com)

Fortinet is a driving force in the evolution of cybersecurity and the convergence of networking and security. Our mission is to secure people, devices and data everywhere, and today we deliver cybersecurity everywhere our customers need it with the largest integrated portfolio of over 50 enterprise-grade products. Well over half a million customers trust Fortinet’s solutions, which are among the most deployed, most patented and most validated in the industry. The Fortinet Training Institute, one of the largest and broadest training programs in the industry, is dedicated to making cybersecurity training and new career opportunities available to everyone. Collaboration with esteemed organisations from both the public and private sectors, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (“CERTs”), government entities, and academia, is a fundamental aspect of Fortinet’s commitment to enhance cyber resilience globally. FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s elite threat intelligence and research organisation, develops and utilises leading-edge machine learning and AI technologies to provide customers with timely and consistently top-rated protection and actionable threat intelligence. Learn more at https://www.fortinet.com, the Fortinet Blog, and FortiGuard Labs.