What Expert Says On Government Cyber Security Programme For Students Begins Its Fourth Year

  • The government-backed online cyber security training programme, which has seen more than 65,000 students take part in recent years, is to begin its fourth year early to capitalise on the thousands of young people who are currently unable to attend school.
  • Led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and delivered by global IT security training organisation SANS Institute, Cyber Discovery was first launched in the school year 2017/18 and aims to help close the UK’s cyber security skills gap by inspiring teenagers to pursue a career in the industry.
  • The programme is comprised of four phases: an initial assessment stage called CyberStart Assess; CyberStart Game and CyberStart Essentials, designed to enhance the skills of those who have made it through the initial assessment stage.
  • This year the programme, which usually kicks-off at the start of the new school year in September, will begin on 2 June. The early start will give students aged 13-18, currently studying away from the classroom, the opportunity to take part in the ‘CyberStart Assess’ phase during the summer. Those successful will qualify for the advanced learning phases of the programme beginning in October.
  • Cyber Discovery is a part of the government’s wider CyberFirst UK skills programme for young people.
  • Registration details here: https://joincyberdiscovery.com/

Experts Comments

June 02, 2020
James Lyne
CTO
SANS
Cyber attacks continue to make headline news on an almost weekly basis – the demand for skilled people to secure the technology that we rely on has never been greater. The third year of the Cyber Discovery programme again saw many highly talented young people take part, many of whom are now motivated to pursue a career in cyber security. With so many young people spending time away from school as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, we were happy to bring forward the all-new assessment.....Read More
Cyber attacks continue to make headline news on an almost weekly basis – the demand for skilled people to secure the technology that we rely on has never been greater. The third year of the Cyber Discovery programme again saw many highly talented young people take part, many of whom are now motivated to pursue a career in cyber security. With so many young people spending time away from school as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, we were happy to bring forward the all-new assessment phase of the 2020/21 programme. This is an ideal opportunity for students to put their problem-solving skills to the test with a range of fun, interactive challenges where they’ll get to try out cracking codes and solving tricky problems. Those that are successful will then go on to enhance their skills in the core stages of Cyber Discovery. The UK needs cyber defenders and technologists to secure our increasingly digital future. Help us get young people involved and let’s see if they have what it takes!  Read Less
June 02, 2020
Matt Warman
Digital Infrastructure Minister
GOV.UK
This initiative gives teenagers something fun and educational to do from home and provides a glimpse into the life of a cyber security professional. We have a world-leading cyber sector protecting the country and our digital economy and we must continue to inspire the next generation of talent to help maintain this position. As the assessment phase opens I encourage all teens who enjoy a challenge to put their skills to the test.
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