Maude Pushes To Strengthen Cyber Skills In UK

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has introduced new measures the government is taking to increase the number of people with cyber security skills.

At an event held at the Institute for Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) to celebrate the third anniversary of the UK Cyber Security Strategy, Maude claimed equipping people to fight against cyber threats is vital for both government and industry.

The Cabinet Office, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) are leading the campaign to improve digital security.

Last week at the event, Maude revealed that universities and colleges in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, London and Newcastle would be receiving grants in partnership with Barclays Bank and online retailers the Hut Group to improve cyber security education and learning.

The government is also building new ‘cyber camps’ and mentoring schemes that aim to help computing graduates gain practical experience and start a career in cyber security.

This is in conjunction with testing and competition organisation The Cyber Security Challenge and The Cyber Growth Partnership, which works on behalf of industry to improve related prospects in the UK.

Other initiatives include a virtual hub designed to inspire students into cyber security careers by providing advice and job opportunities in conjunction with the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers (CREST) and an updated guide for business on the cyber security skills initiatives that will help develop their own staff and future talent.

Making Britain Safe

“As part of this government’s long-term economic plan we want to ensure that Britain is one of the safest places to do business online,” claimed Maude.

“Over the past three years we have taken a strategic approach to improving cyber security, working with others to deliver schools programmes, certified six Masters degrees, two centres for doctoral training and 11 Academic Centres of Excellence.

“With Alan Turing and Bletchley Park, the UK has a proud heritage in cryptography and computer science. 40,000 people work in our cyber industry and we have 14 cyber security ‘clusters’ across the country

“We want to develop greater skills and encourage more people to pursue a career in this growth area,” he added.

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