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The policies in this year’s Autumn Budget last week fell short of truly solving the deeply ingrained challenges facing the UK’s cyber security resilience, writes Dr Andrea Cullen, CEO and co-founder of CAPSLOCK, which offers cyber training ‘boot camps’.
The Budget failed to move away from the reliance on initiatives such as Skills England, which forms part of the Government’s seven pillars of growth, to address the root cause of the skills gap. Despite an initiative with good intentions, it will do little to solve the severe talent shortage and lack of diversity in the cyber industry.
With around half of UK businesses having a cybersecurity gap in basic technical areas, the Government must couple policies with creating a grassroots movement that begins at the early stages of education. An early and comprehensive approach to cybersecurity education in primary schools will open pathways for children and in turn, help build a workforce ready to address the ever-evolving threat landscape.
However, while attracting young people to the sector is essential, they’re unlikely to stay is there is a lack of diversity. The Government must strengthen infrastructure and provide support for career changers, who can not only serve as role models for younger people but also foster greater diversity within the industry.
Creating a grassroots movement
An effective national cyber strategy must begin in primary schools, a place where children start to think about their future careers. Raising awareness of digital safety and equipping children with foundational cyber skills will foster a strong understanding of cybersecurity, building momentum for a new generation of cyber professionals.
Developing this awareness in young children can start in their existing subjects to demystify the rapidly evolving cyber field. But while it may be tempting to assign cyber to STEM-based subjects, educators should offer a cross-curricular approach to teaching cyber. By only associating cyber with science and maths, for instance, we risk alienating children who consider themselves creative rather than technical. Cyber is an industry that needs creative thinking, teamwork, communication and other transferable skills. This means that diversity of skills is vital and requires young people with a range of talents.
The value of hands-on education
To complement a reformed STEM curriculum, cyber education in schools must adopt a practical and inclusive approach that bridges STEM with creativity. Cybersecurity requires not only technical skills but also creativity, yet segregating STEM from the arts can stop students from pursuing cyber careers. Not only this but limiting children to theory-based classroom learning won’t fully prepare them for the evolving cyber workplace. Instead, the Government should emphasise the importance of a hands-on approach to learning with workshops and real-world simulations of cyber threats to offer the practical experience necessary to understand the reality of cyber security problems.
Government-supported apprenticeship programmes are also crucial in addressing the skills gap. These programmes offer accessible and cost-effective pathways into the industry, particularly for students who may not have the financial means to pursue university degrees. Apprenticeships provide valuable hands-on experience, allowing students to work directly with cybersecurity professionals and gain the practical skills needed to succeed in the field. This approach ensures that impactful cyber education, with practical experience, is available to all, widening the talent pool to all backgrounds – not just those who can afford a degree. Despite a lack of support for apprenticeships programmes in the Autumn Budget, the Government must move forward and ensure apprenticeship initiatives like the Government Security Cyber degree apprenticeship are maintained to create clear and accessible training routes for emerging talent.
Building diverse talent
Diversity of skills and backgrounds is vital for a sector which must represent society to be effective. Cyber teams must be able to think like the broad range of threat actors working against them. But role models are essential to inspire and attract diverse talent to the cyber workforce and more needs to be done to attract diverse individuals at all levels to inspire underrepresented groups to enter the industry.
Role models such as career changers highlight that cyber is for everyone, as they show under-represented groups that there is a tangible path into cyber. To encourage greater diversity of skills and backgrounds in cyber, there needs to be greater opportunity across all age groups. Inspiring children from the very earliest stages of education will attract a broad societal cross-section to cyber, to build a stronger representation of industry role models.
The need for a long-term approach
The Autumn Budget failed to provide the support the cyber industry needs, focusing instead on initiatives that don’t address the root of the cyber skills gap in the UK. Moving forward, the Government must invest in building long-term resilience within the sector. Offering short-term measures won’t address the systemic changes needed to solve the skills gap.
The next steps should prioritise inspiring future cyber professionals by modernising the education system, ensuring cybersecurity is presented as a viable career path. Only by focusing on long-term investment and addressing the root causes of current industry challenges can the Government equip the cyber sector with the resources needed to defend against the evolving threat landscape.
