QinetiQ has delivered the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Advanced course to more than 200 students across the United Kingdom, in a programme aimed at building the country’s future cyber workforce, according to the organisation.
The week-long course is designed for 16 and 17-year-olds with an interest in cyber security, developing technical skills and raising awareness of career options in the sector. Participants gain practical experience in encryption technologies, digital forensics and cyber investigation techniques, hear from industry specialists, and tackle challenges involving open source intelligence gathering and penetration testing.
The training is delivered at 11 venues, among them QinetiQ’s Malvern site, a specialist cyber and intelligence centre, and universities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. On the final day students take part in a national Capture the Flag competition, working in teams through the Hack The Box platform.
James Willis, Chief Executive Officer of UK Intelligence at QinetiQ, said: “As demand for cyber security expertise continues to grow, initiatives such as CyberFirst play an important role in building a diverse pipeline of talent and strengthening the UK’s future cyber resilience.”
He added: “Our cyber experts have firsthand experience of protecting a range of partners against complex threats across the globe and so understand just how important it is to inspire future generations into the industry.”
Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for National Resilience Capabilities, said: “We are delighted to support QinetiQ who are delivering the CyberFirst Advanced learning content in collaboration with 10 NCSC Academic Centres of Excellence for Education.”
He continued: “This partnership with industry and academia marks another important step in expanding access to high-quality cyber security education, benefiting even more students across the UK. Inspiring the next generation of cyber talent is vital to the UK’s digital future, and we look forward to the continued broadening of access to these resources through the TechFirst programme.”
QinetiQ said the programme helps young people explore career options, develop technical capabilities and make informed decisions about further education and university applications, and framed it as part of a wider commitment to supporting skills across cyber, artificial intelligence and quantum.
CyberFirst was established by the NCSC, part of GCHQ, to widen the pool of people entering cyber security, and runs courses for age groups from 11 upwards alongside bursary and degree apprenticeship schemes. Successive government and parliamentary assessments have identified a persistent shortfall in cyber skills across both the public and private sectors, a constraint that bears directly on defence, where demand spans network defence, offensive cyber and the security of increasingly software-dependent platforms.
The National Cyber Force, the joint MOD and GCHQ organisation conducting offensive cyber operations, is establishing its headquarters at Samlesbury in Lancashire, with recruitment into the wider cyber workforce identified as one of the principal challenges facing its expansion.
