The Polish Model: Cybersecurity Training for Business Leaders Rather Than IT Specialists

Should training focused on cyber risk management and data protection be aimed at business leaders and decision-makers rather than IT specialists?

This is the approach taken by the Cyber Resilience Academy training programme in Poland’s Podkarpackie region, which aims to strengthen cybersecurity expertise among business leaders. The model has already spread beyond the academy to other organisations. It was presented at the Interreg Europe SafeSkills project partner meeting held in Rzeszów, Poland, on 7–8 October.

In the photo: Dr Tomasz Żabiński from Rzeszów University of Technology presents the cybersecurity challenges associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence and humanoid robots, as well as the new skills required by these emerging technologies.

Hosted by the Rzeszów Regional Development Agency (RARR S.A.), the meeting brought together project partners and stakeholders from across Europe to discuss emerging security challenges, technological developments and the skills needed to respond to a changing security environment.

Emerging technologies and evolving security challenges

The programme also included a visit to WSPiA University in Rzeszów, where representatives from six countries learned about education and training programmes in internal security, criminology and cybersecurity. Discussions focused on how local educational institutions are preparing the next generation of security professionals and responding to the sector’s evolving skills needs.

European SafeSkills project partners in the centre of Rzeszów in October 2026.

The roundtable discussions focused on emerging security challenges. Representatives from different countries explored new applications of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity and the potential security implications of synthetic digital identities. They also examined regional resilience and the technologies and capabilities needed to counter drone threats.

The discussions provided an opportunity to exchange experiences between regions, identify common challenges and explore how technological developments are shaping future skills needs in the security sector.

The project aims to share regional good practices and, where applicable, adapt them to improve policy instruments across different European regions.

The SafeSkills project is co-funded by the Interreg Europe programme. Its objective is to improve the regional availability of skilled professionals in the security sector by promoting interregional cooperation, the exchange of good practices and the development of regional policies.

SafeSkills brings together six partner organisations from Finland, Poland, France, Spain and Ukraine. The European Forum for Urban Security (Efus) also participates in the project as an advisory partner.