20.500.12556/DKUM-97657 Importance of cybersecurity competencies in higher education and for employers The global shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals continues to intensify, underscoring the need for targeted and practice-oriented education and training. This study examines and compares the cybersecurity competencies emphasized in higher education with those prioritized by employers. The findings reveal notable discrepancies between academic and industry expectations. Employers, particularly larger organizations, assign the greatest importance to competencies related to organizational and human security, whereas higher education institutions tend to prioritize technical cybersecurity domains. These insights provide a foundation for designing more comprehensive and industry-aligned cybersecurity curricula and can support the development of educational pathways tailored to specific learner groups and workforce needs. cybersecurity cybersecurity knowledge cybersecurity competencies cybersecurity education kibernetska varnost znanje o kibernetski varnosti kompetence o kibernetski varnosti izobraževanje o kibernetski varnosti true false true MDPI Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci © 2026 by the authors Članek v reviji 2026-03-30 11:56:46 2026-03-30 11:56:46 2026-05-26 07:58:08 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 23 str. iss. 7, [article no.] 3260 Vol. 16 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 2026-02-27 2026-03-26 2026-03-27 004.7 273535747 2076-3417 applsci-16-03260.pdf applsci-16-03260.pdf 1 039901B474571D13BD042955398CAA83 f4caab7d8ea053472e280b9a6f8c2856fa2580e2c9026bf64973b2aeef40f4ca e2400e3c-2cc0-11f1-b3ef-00155d0001a1 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=204913 Fakulteta za elektrotehniko, računalništvo in informatiko 0 0 0