Cyber Explorers – Over 50,000 Students sign up to Government cyber programme
Over 50,000 Students Sign-Up to Government’s Cyber Explorers Programme in first year surge
London, 21st August – Over 50,000 students from 2,000 UK schools have signed up to the Government’s free Cyber Explorers programme since it launched in 2022 as it looks to ramp up sign-ups ahead of the new academic year.
Cyber Explorers provides free resources including challenging cyber scenarios, interactive activities and quizzes, as well as guidance from experts in the Cyber Squad.
The initiative is aimed at 11-14-year-olds in schools across the UK to teach them important cybersecurity concepts and how cyber skills impact the digital world in areas such as AI innovation.
According to the government, half of all UK businesses suffer from a basic cyber skills gap.
Responding to the news Achi Lewis, Area VP EMEA for Absolute Software commented: “It is brilliant to see government and the education sector working together to deliver essential cybersecurity training to usher in the new wave of cyber professionals. Cyber Explorers offers students a head start in cyber training, keeping them up to date with the latest trends and innovations impacting organisations. In an industry where the complexity of threats continues to rise, it is more important than ever to encourage people into cyber to help protect organisations from prevailing attacks.”
“Beyond education institutions, all staff across all industries should be provided with basic cyber skills as part of their training in order to understand the threats posed as well as how to detect and react to when an attack happens, not just if. This preparedness can be the vital difference between days of downtime and months of recovery or systems staying online and protected.”
As part of the initiative, schools will host leading industry players such as Amazon and Verizon to showcase practical applications of cyber skills.
Oseloka Obiora, Chief Technology Officer for RiverSafe, commented: “Cyber training at the school level is an excellent initiative to encourage young people to pursue a career in cybersecurity and now is the perfect time for people to get involved. Access to industry insights and real-world resources to detail cyber security concepts is an important step to creating a cyber proficient workforce and mitigate both internal and external risks in the workplace.“
“Threats such as stolen credentials are a common cause of cyber breaches hitting organisations of late and cyber training is an essential way ensure staff stay vigilant to areas like this that cause businesses enormous damage. Whether it be insider threats from disgruntled staff or targeted attacks from malicious external cyber criminals, staff training can provide an important level of protection for organisations to prevent breaches from occurring.”
Meanwhile, Cyber Minister Viscount Camrose, said: “The UK’s growing cyber sector is where the technological innovations and digital discoveries of the future will start. That’s why we’re focused on breaking down the barriers to entry, creating new opportunities for young people to gain the skills and knowledge that could kick-start exciting careers in cyber.”
“More than 2,000 schools across the country are already signed up to Cyber Explorers, meaning that tens of thousands of pupils can benefit from the resources on offer – and we want to make sure even more get that chance this year.”
Responses