Record participation from ethnic minority students for CyberFirst summer courses

PUPILS from ethnic minority backgrounds have secured nearly half (47 per cent) of places in the CyberFirst summer courses led by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a statement said. The intake of girls was 43 per cent this year.

A total of 1,866 teenagers aged 14-17 took part in the courses virtually and in-person led by the UK’s cyber experts, the NCSC added in the statement.

The number of applications has increased from 3,909 in 2020 to a record 4,384 this year.

The courses were held in Warwickshire and covered topics including digital forensics, ethical hacking and cryptography.

CyberFirst aims to encourage young people to pursue their interest in cyber security and improve the diversity in the industry. Currently, just 16 per cent of  the UK’s cyber sector workforce are women and only 17 per cent from ethnic minority backgrounds.

“It’s fantastic to see so many young people engaging with cyber security and developing the skills that will help them thrive in the industry. Our summer courses provide fun, hands-on opportunities to learn about defending our digital world and we hope they will be inspired to pursue their interests further," said Chris Ensor, NCSC deputy director for cyber growth.

“It’s vital the next generation of cyber experts is diverse as well as skilled, and through CyberFirst we are committed to making the industry a more accessible and inclusive place for all.”

Matt Warman, digital infrastructure minister, said: “It's fantastic to see so many young people from diverse backgrounds develop cyber skills over the summer as it is vital that the industry has a strong pipeline of talent for years to come."

CyberFirst Advanced participant Binita, aged 17, said: “I have found the CyberFirst Advanced Course extremely informative and insightful.

“It has been amazing to work with team members that share the same passion and it has given me more of a reason to research cyber security as a career to pursue in the future.”

Upcoming CyberFirst opportunities

• The 2021-22 CyberFirst girls competition-open to teams of girls aged 12 to 13, offers a fun and challenging opportunity to test your cyber skills in a bid to be crowned the UK’s cyber champions. Registrations for this year’s contest will open in October.
• Empower cyber week 2021 (8th-12th November)-students can watch on-demand videos and join virtual sessions given by speakers in academia, industry and government that will introduce them to the world of cyber security.
• The CyberFirst bursary and degree apprenticeship programme-it offers older students a chance to kick start their career in cyber security by supporting their development with financial assistance, paid training and industry work placement opportunities with more than 100 UK and multinational organisations.