Cyber bootcamp aims to match tech-savvy veterans with their next employer

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/economy/article-coding-for-veterans-cybersecurity-bootcamp/

Publish Date: 2026-06-17 16:27:00

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Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. Open this photo in gallery:Royal Canadian Air Force veteran Daniel Shang, shown at the Coding for Veterans office in Toronto, signed up for the organization’s cybersecurity bootcamp to test his skills and network with corporations.Gabriel HutchinsonOn Thursday, about 20 students are gathering in-person for the first time in a computer lab at Toronto’s George Brown Polytechnic to test their cybersecurity skills in a simulated attack. But unlike your average hackathon, where fledgling undergraduate computer whizzes attempt to break through a wall of online job applications by wooing corporate sponsors in attendance, these students aren’t looking for their first adult jobs. The students in this class just finished serving their country in the military. Now, they’re wondering what’s next. “After releasing to civilian life, it takes quite a bit of time to transition to what I want to do next, because there’s way too many careers out there,” said Daniel Shang, a Royal Canadian Air Force veteran, who retired from the military in 2023.Luckily, Mr. Shang says, he came across Coding for Veterans, the organization hosting this week’s cybersecurity event. The Canadian non-profit runs several programs to help veterans retrain once they leave the military. The classes work toward university and industry certifications to support them landing jobs in the global tech industry. The courses are open to veterans, reservists, currently serving Armed Forces members and their families. They’re held fully online through the University of Ottawa and can be completed within 12 months through full-time or part-time study. Jeff Musson, founder and executive director of Coding for Veterans, said his organization started with five students in 2019. In January, he enrolled its 1,000th student.With fewer barriers to entry, military enlistment is on the riseEngagement and interest in its programs are growing, he said, in tandem with Ottawa’s Defence Industrial Strategy highlighting digital systems as a priority and a growing number of new recruits in the Canadian Armed Forces as the country attempts to bolster its troops.Mr. Shang just enrolled in his second Coding for Veterans course. After learning how to detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents, he’s now starting to study generative artificial intelligence to improve his chances of landing work.Veterans such as Mr. Shang are ideal candidates for jobs in Canada’s information technology sector, Mr. Musson said. “If you look at their soft skill sets, things like attention to detail, leadership, teamwork, those are the skills that really make for the best individuals to be employed in Canada’s IT sector,” he said.But employers often don’t realize the potential in hiring veterans, Mr. Musson said. That’s why he founded Coding for Veterans.Open this photo in gallery:Daniel Shang, who retired from the military in 2023, is participating in his second Coding for Veterans course.Gabriel HutchinsonAt the two-day bootcamp beginning Thursday, Coding for Veterans students from around the Greater Toronto Area will race to solve complex cybersecurity issues – putting the skills they’ve learned in class to the test. Plus, they’ll have the opportunity to meet potential employers from corporations such as Toronto-Dominion Bank, IBM and KPMG.For Mr. Shang, the networking is the main reason he signed up for the event. “I can do my practice all day, but eventually I have to get into industry,” he said. On the first day, students will be broken up into teams to start working through different cybersecurity scenarios, such as a ransomware attack on a transcontinental pipeline or a hacking attempt at a financial institution. Day two will see the teams put that practice to work during a three-hour competition that will result in one team walking away on top, with bragging rights and a small prize purse.The corporate leaders in the room will be around to help mentor the students and scout for potential new hires, Mr. Musson said.Coding for Veterans has held an event like this before at the University of Ottawa. Mr. Musson said the benefits gleaned from all parties involved, from the students to the corporations to his organization, were tangible. Two students were hired after the event from connections they made there, he said.“It was a great way in which to educate employers of the value of hiring students, or military veterans, in their organization,” he said.Partnering with George Brown Polytechnic is just another way Coding for Veterans is looking to grow, according to the demand it’s seeing, Mr. Musson said. He added that the goal is to make the Toronto bootcamp a semiannual event.