Singapore Polytechnic launched on Wednesday an educational institute for IT professionals and adult learners looking to upgrade or learn skills in cyber security.

For a start, the Cyber Security Academy as it is called, will provide two courses conducted by trainers from the school's key partner, Ixia, an IT firm that specialises in security.

The polytechnic's lecturers will also start to teach courses in time to come. Courses will be held in the school's Cyber Wargame Centre, a facility launched earlier this year that can simulate cyber attacks. This is the first time the centre, which has been used by the school's infocomm security diploma students, is being open to working adults. Organisations can also test their own cyber security resiliency through simulated scenarios in the centre.

"Recent events in Singapore and the world have prompted organisations to revisit their cyber security," said Ms Jacqueline Poh, managing director of Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, who was the guest of honour at the launch. She added that the academy will "contribute towards nurturing more highly-skilled cyber security experts for Singapore".