Lancaster University all-set to assist future generations of cyber security professionals

Young people are set to benefit from leading cyber security and computer science expertise within one of the UK’s top universities.

Lancaster University’s strong track-record across teaching, research and engagement places it among world-leaders in cyber security. It is one of only a handful of universities whose education, research and training is recognised by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ.

As an NCSC recognised Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education, Lancaster will be running a ‘CyberFirst Adventurers’ course in July and aims to make delivering this, as well as other CyberFirst courses, a regular offering to schools in the North West. This is particularly important as Lancaster University looks to play an increasingly proactive role in working with the NCSC and others to create a highly effective cyber education ecosystem, which will feed the rapid growth of cyber and technology related roles required in the North West.

CyberFirst is designed to inspire and enable young people to explore their love of tech by introducing them to the exciting world of cyber security and discovering more about the opportunities available from careers in cyber security and computer science.

According to Government figures, there is a skills gap of around 14,000 in the UK cyber security sector – roles that are critical to ensure the future security and resilience of UK businesses, organisations and the wider society and economy. CyberFirst aims to identify and nurture a diverse range of talented young people to consider cyber security as a future career.

Daniel Prince, Professor in Cyber Security at Lancaster University, said: “We are delighted to be joining the CyberFirst family! We will be delivering the NCSC’s highly recognised CyberFirst courses, and importantly providing opportunities for students going through the CyberFirst programmes.

“These programmes of activities are focused on young people who are yet to make their GCSE choices and will give them fun, invaluable and inspiring insights into some of the exciting, interesting an rapidly-growing opportunities there are in sectors like cyber security for people with computer science skills.”

Through the CyberFirst programme Lancaster University experts will reach out to schools and colleges to raise awareness and aspirations of students and parents around cyber security careers, supporting the North West Cyber Corridor to grow and prosper.

The programme will see schools across the North West gain greater access to cyber security knowledge and materials. The University aims to deliver activities that will see school pupils visit Lancaster’s campus where many will get to experience the aspirational setting of a leading university for the first time, as well as engaging them in exciting and thought-provoking cyber and computer science activities.

Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth said: “I am delighted that students in the North West will have an opportunity to attend a CyberFirst Adventurers course at Lancaster University this summer.

“This NCSC course is the perfect way to introduce young people to the world of cyber and tech, and help them discover more about the exciting career opportunities in the sector.

“It is fantastic that Lancaster University plans to make this part of their regular offering for schools in the area, and I hope that for many of these students it’s just the start of their journey into cyber security.”

The CyberFirst programme builds on Lancaster University’s extensive track-record in delivering outreach activities around digital and cyber skills. Previous school visits, and visits of pupils to campus, have involved inspiring activities such as VR, robotics and cyber Lego games.

Lancaster experts recently visited Montgomery Academy to deliver digital skills activities, including a cyber Lego game to around 90 computer science pupils.

Phil Morris, Curriculum leader of computing at Montgomery Academy in Blackpool, said: “This innovative approach to teaching cyber security not only engaged students in a fun and interactive way, but also ensures that they met key areas of the network security GCSE specification. The session allowed students who were working in teams with hands-on experience in identifying and mitigating cyber threats in a mock organisation all with the use of Lego. Many thanks, this session certainly backed up the work from our theory sessions.”

Working with the NCSC to deliver CyberFirst activities builds on Lancaster University’s position as a leader in the cyber education and research field. Lancaster University have already started to boost the skills and talent pipeline in the region by building on its NCSC certified Masters degree with a new undergraduate degree in cyber security.

The University is investing significantly investment into new cutting-edge teaching facilities to support these new three and four-year degree programmes. This comes as part of a recently announced once-in-a-generation £19m investment into Security and Protection Science – an initiative that will also see Lancaster recruit 33 new cross-disciplinary academics, plus 15 professor in practice roles as well as 10 support staff.

Professor Simon Guy, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global at Lancaster University, said: “The CyberFirst Adventurers course is a vital step in building the skills and mindset young people will require to safely and securely navigate the challenges presented by cyber security, in both their personal and future professional lives. Lancaster University is proud to be contributing to the development of a cyber education in the North West working with the NCSC.”

Lancaster University is already renowned for its support for the region’s SME community through its digital knowledge exchange teams, and currently delivers a number of cyber security programmes including via the Lancashire Cyber Foundry and Greater Manchester Cyber Foundry.

The CyberFirst programme also aims to attract young people from under-represented demographics, including girls and the NCSC is launching a competition specifically aimed at girls.

Further information on the CyberFirst programme, including the NCSC’s CyberFirst Girls competition can be found on the CyberFirst website.

Registration for the 2023 edition of the NCSC’s CyberFirst Girls Competition opens in September. The competition aims to inspire girls aged 12 and 13 to pursue their interests in technology and pursue a career in cyber security, where women make up just 22% of the workforce.