There is a chronic shortage of cyber skills in the UK. Companies and schools need to work together to ignite children's passion by offering new learning opportunities and practical insights into STEM applications. This is vital if we are to see long-term growth in the cyber security sector.
A report on cyber security skills in the UK labour market published last year found that around half of all businesses had a basic cyber skills gap. The number of cyber security job postings rose by 30 per cent to 160,000, although the cyber workforce in the UK is facing a shortfall of around 11,200 people. Women make up only 17 per cent of employees in the sector, while senior roles are typically not representative of gender or ethnic diversity across wider society.
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, and 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.’ However, there is a shortage of qualified and confident teachers and leaving cyber security skills training to secondary schools may not increase the diversity of applicants. It needs to be on the primary curriculum if it is to be truly effective. One project in Aylesbury shows how this could be accomplished.
Red Helix, a leading UK cyber security managed service provider, has been encouraging children and young girls to develop careers in STEM and cyber security through the launch of a coding club in a primary school. It is designed to give them first hand experience of real world applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The club, initially run for Year 5 and 6 students from Elmhurst School, affiliated with the Great Learners Trust, was launched in the summer to spark children’s interest in STEM from an early age. One of the objectives was to improve social mobility by targeting the programme at children from primary schools with higher Pupil Premium rates. Primary school children were some of the most affected by the Covid-19 school closures, and the disruption had a significant impact on children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.