Ekco tackles talent shortage with graduate programme

Twelve-month programme will provide hands-on experience across key business areas

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Declan Timmons, Ekco

Ekco has launched a cyber security graduate programme based at the company’s Dublin headquarters.

The 12-month programme will provide hands-on experience across six key areas of the business: security engineering, penetration testing, threat detection and response, cyber resiliency, security architecture, and GRC (governance, risk management, and compliance).

Based within the professional services practice, participants will work with more than 100 Ekco security specialists across a range of customers in the fintech, construction, healthcare, retail, and public sectors. Graduates will also learn how to apply cutting-edge cyber security tools and solutions to real-world scenarios, support customer growth, have the opportunity to earn industry-recognised certifications, and collaborate with Ekco’s global teams.

This exposure will equip graduates with the skills and experience to kickstart their careers in cyber security. They will also benefit from both one-to-one and group mentoring sessions, with clear pathways for progression and specialisation within Ekco. Additionally, this immersive programme will enable participants to become a key part of Ekco’s people-first culture, and contribute to a number of charitable and community initiatives.

The programme initially creates roles for five graduates, which is expected to grow to 10 in 2026 and aims to continue to double the number year-on-year. The company also plans to expand the programme to its cloud division, and roll it out across its global locations including the UK and Malaysia.

Declan Timmons, managing director for professional services, Ekco (pictured), said: “Most of us have that one person or role that helped us up the career ladder, and we want to be that step for graduates entering the workforce. We are opening the door to the next generation of cyber security talent, giving high-potential graduates the tools, mentorship, and experience to make an impact on the modern technology landscape.

“It will provide an invaluable opportunity to experience first-hand how cyber security operates at scale in complex, fast-paced environments, and enable graduates to see how their own contributions directly strengthen customers’ defences against real-world cyber threats. In an increasingly competitive talent market, we plan to expand the technology talent pool with skilled graduates who will bring fresh thinking and new ideas to both our business and to the wider industry.”

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