UK Gov launches Round Three of cyber security skills initiative

The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a new campaign to attract a broader array of talent into the work of cyber security.

This is the third-round of funding for the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF), with training providers able to access up-to £100,000 of government funding to work with employers and design training programmes which retrain a diverse range of individuals for a career in cyber security.

“This latest round of funding demonstrates our commitment to make sure the UK’s cyber security industry has a skilled and diverse workforce and, through our new Cyber Security Council, there are clear paths for those wishing to join the profession,” said Cyber Security Minister Nigel Adams.

“It’s fundamental that cyber security is seen as a nationally recognised and established profession with clear career pathways,” said Simon Edwards, IET Director of Governance and External Engagement.

“With cyber skills shortages already emerging at every level, we are committed to working with the Government and the National Cyber Security Centre on delivering the rapid, yet capable development of specialist cyber skills to meet the growing needs of the industry, manage risk and secure the next generation of talent.”

Alongside this funding, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has been selected to help design and deliver new UK Cyber Security Council to coordinate the existing professional landscape. The aim will be to create an accessible career path, which is appealing to those entering the workforce.

This is the challenge which the UK is facing; a shortage of skilled workers to address specialised tasks which are emerging in the digital economy. While cyber security might not be a new concept, though as it is one which has been ignored by industry for years, this under-preparedness has been passed onto the workforce.

Recent research from DCMS suggest 54% of businesses in the UK have a basic technical cyber security skills gap. The biggest areas seem to be forensic analysis, penetration testing, security architecture and using threat analysis insight.

Interestingly enough, while this is a promising initiative to retrain workers and provide a boost to the workforce, some of the building blocks are still missing; the UK education system and the national curriculum is still to focused on traditional and classical topics, and not on skills and vocations which will create the workforce of tomorrow which is needed today.

Take coding as an example. There are schools where ICT, where coding is an element, is a compulsory topic at GCSE, but these are not the majority. The workplace of the future is going to be increasingly digital, and if the UK Government envisions a continued shortage of competent digital employees, surely reforming the curriculum would be a good step-forward. Perhaps these subjects which drive potential employees towards data science, software engineering and cybersecurity, should be make compulsory by default.

This is a positive step-forward, though retraining schemes like this are reactive. A long-term, sustainable solution to the skills shortage would be to address the challenge at the root.