A record number of people are looking to start a new career in the cyber field this year by applying to the government’s Upskill in Cyber programme.
Of the over 3,600 applications received, almost half were submitted by women with over 50% people based outside London and the South East, demonstrating the diverse range of talent waiting to open up across the UK.
Aimed at people from a non-electronic background and delivered in partnership with the SANS Institute, the scheme is the latest in a series of ambitious programs introduced through the government’s £2.6 billion National e-strategy.
This is all part of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology’s plans to build a thriving tech workforce and secure the resilience of the digital economy of the future while supporting the Prime Minister’s priority of growing the economy and creating better paying jobs.
The Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property, Viscount Camrose said: The UK’s internet sector is growing exponentially. In just 12 months we’ve seen our workforce of 58,000 jump 10%. Ensuring we can maintain a steady supply of diverse, highly skilled professionals is vital to meeting the needs of our growing digital economy.
It’s encouraging to see record numbers from a wide range of backgrounds and communities come forward in this year’s Upskill in Cyber program. However, this is ultimately just one piece of the puzzle.
We must continue our work with industry and education to improve technical skills across the economy, and we continue to invest in the potential of our best minds at all levels to open up opportunity for people across the country.
With government backed schemes such as Cyber Explorers and Cyber First already up and running and inspiring people under 25 to consider a career in cyber, Upskill in Cyber is focused on giving opportunities to those already in the workforce By offering 14-week training programs to equip people with the skills and knowledge they need to embark on new jobs in the sector.
There is a huge demand for cyber skills across the economy. Last year’s Cyber Security Skills in UK Labor Market Report found that 51% of companies have a primary cyber skills gap, with an average of 21,600 new volunteers required each year to meet demand in the online sector. To meet this growing demand, the government has already worked on its ambitions in the field of science and technology to equip future generations with vital skills from an early age.
One of the ways this is achieved is through Cyber Explorer. Launched in 2022, the program teaches basic skills to 11-14-year-olds through a free online learning platform, including key security concepts such as open-source intelligence and digital forensics. Ensuring that students of all races and those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds can realize the benefits of the program has been a central aspect of its design, with a series of events led by local businesses in Wales, Yorkshire, Birmingham and Inverclyde providing vital support to unleashing talent across the UK. More than 22,000 youth and 2,000 schools have signed up for the program in its first phase and the government aims to reach 45,000 students this year.
The National Center for Cyber Security’s CyberFirst program is another example of the massive steps the government is taking to boost digital skills in the UK and encourage motivated students to pursue careers in the online field. Including comprehensive undergraduate scholarship schemes, a girls-only competition, and thousands of free course places at UK universities and colleges, the program nurtures talent at all ages from secondary school through further education.
“Cybersecurity is an exciting and fast-growing industry with opportunities in a wide range of areas,” said Chris Ensor, NCSC Vice Director of Cyber Growth. To achieve this, we must build a sustainable — and crucially diverse — pipeline of talent.
Cross-industry collaboration will be key to closing the skills gap, including through initiatives such as CyberFirst. We want to empower the internet experts of tomorrow with the tools they need to keep the UK safe and resilient online.
Global technology leaders have also begun to follow the government’s lead in closing the digital skills gap with new internal initiatives. In May, Google launched a new Cybersecurity Career Certificate program as a platform to develop the skills needed to fill critical roles in the cybersecurity field, with students able to complete the program in as little as six months by studying part-time.
The Science and Technology Framework and the National Cyber Strategy established the government’s commitment to strengthening and expanding the country’s cyber skills at all levels. Programs such as Upskill in Cyber, Cyber First and Cyber Explorers continue to play a vital role in this mission as they build a digital workforce to unlock innovation, unlock opportunity and secure the UK’s digital economy.
Commenting on the news, Suede Adyango, CEO, said River Seif He said: “While these figures are encouraging, more needs to be done to address the cyber skills shortage in the UK. Building a thriving cyber security industry requires a dynamic and diverse workforce, and insufficient efforts are still being made to attract women and people from different backgrounds. diversified to enter the industry.With the advent of ransomware endangering businesses and critical national infrastructure, we need more ambitions for the Nationwide Internet Skills Scheme to enhance our expertise in this area.
Upskill is making excellent progress in bringing more women into the online world, but we also need a concerted effort from companies, industry groups, schools and universities to transform learning and inspire more people to enter the industry. Doing so will not only better protect our business, but it will also provide a significant boost to UK GDP.”