Security as a democratic issue

A few weeks on from the closing event “Shape the Future”, hosted on 7 July by the University of Milan, we look back at the Cybersecurity Seminars through the lens of Virtual Routes, an international partner of the programme promoted by Google.org.

In the account published by the organisation, the Milan experience serves as a concrete example of how university education can be aligned with the real needs of communities. At the heart of it all is a question set to become increasingly important: what skills does a cybersecurity professional need today, as artificial intelligence permeates every sector?

The answer that emerged from the meeting goes far beyond technical expertise. According to Virtual Routes, the programme’s value lies precisely in its ability to integrate technological, regulatory and organisational skills, offering students learning opportunities that are difficult to replicate in the classroom alone.

From university to local needs

In the panel discussion moderated by Cecilia Stajano, community manager at Fondazione Mondo Digitale, YuYing Mak, project officer at Virtual Routes, engaged in a discussion with Stefano Zanero, professor at the Politecnico di Milano, and Pierluigi Perri, associate professor at the University of Milan and Faculty Champion of the programme. One of the key themes discussed was precisely the gap between academic training and the challenges that professionals and organisations face on a daily basis. The Cybersecurity Seminars aim to bridge this gap by putting students through their paces with real-world case studies and guiding them to understand the governance, regulatory and organisational accountability aspects linked to digital security. This approach was confirmed by the students’ testimonies, in which they described how the programme had enabled them to broaden their initially predominantly technical training, whilst also engaging with regulatory and governance aspects that are now increasingly relevant to the European development of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

When education drives change

The Virtual Routes report devotes particular attention to the two schools involved in the programme. At the Liceo Primo Levi in Bollate, the support went beyond a mere security audit. With the support of Cristiano Capozzi, the school community worked on developing a Plan for the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence and new internal regulatory tools, involving around 140 teachers and 12 administrative staff in a shared process of raising awareness and establishing governance around AI.

At the ITET Maggiolini in Parabiago, on the other hand, the analysis covered the school’s entire digital infrastructure, from the electronic register and website to firewalls and servers. This work, as Virtual Routes emphasises, has helped to change the very way cybersecurity is understood: no longer a mere formality, but a responsibility shared by the organisation. It is precisely organisations such as these – central to the life of their communities but not always able to access dedicated specialist expertise – that are among the main target groups for the Cybersecurity Seminars model.

Security as a democratic issue

In its account, Virtual Routes also highlights the concluding reflection by Silvia Salini, Professor of Statistics at the University of Milan and the programme’s EDI liaison: cybersecurity is a “democratic risk”, because it affects everyone, regardless of age or level of digital literacy.

This definition aptly captures the broader purpose of the project: to train new professionals, whilst at the same time helping to foster a widespread culture of data protection, security and digital responsibility within organisations and local communities. It is also from this interplay between training, community service and social responsibility that a new generation of digital security professionals can emerge.

Read the Virtual Routes feature on the Milan experience and our in-depth article “How digital security professionals are trained”.