UWE Bristol has hosted a ‘training camp’ for students interested in cyber security careers. The west of Bristol-based university offers amateurs an opportunity to learn about cyber defence from professionals.
Over a three day weekend around 40 candidates went through an immersive camp, as an insight into cyber security, with exercises and workshops developed by including HP, National Crime Agency, CERT UK, BT, BAE IA, Sophos, Whitehatters Academy, CompTIA, Infosec Skills, Grillatech, ANG2 Consulting, IISP and CREST.
HP took candidates to their labs on day one, to provide ethical hacking. The second day was at the UWE Bristol Exhibition and Conference Centre (ECC) for a session on ethics from the National Crime Agency; and day three concentrated on careers, with employers such as GCHQ and BT.
Dr David Coward, Head of Computer Science and Creative Technologies at UWE Bristol, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity. With only 40 students involved and some major organisations taking part, it’s a perfect opportunity for our students to gain access to key companies in the field. There are many job opportunities in cyber security, as the range of criminal activity grows – with cybercrimes ranging from hacking, theft, online stalking, identity theft, malware, grooming to revenge porn and many other types of crime. We need people who have the technological capability and understanding to help protect our online spaces and our infrastructure from cybercrime.”
The candidates received tips on interview techniques, social media networking and CV writing from ANG2 Consulting for landing that first job in cyber security and making contacts in the industry.
Stephanie Daman, CEO at Cyber Security, said, “Cyber Security Challenge UK has been working to develop effective cyber training camps for a number of years, and with the help of our fantastic sponsors, we’re found a winning formula that we believe will be invaluable to higher education institutions. This weekend at UWE Bristol, individuals with a keen interest in the area, but not necessarily existing skills, will get to learn more about the way the sector works, pick up essential skills and background knowledge and even walk away with a qualification in hand.”
The camp is the second in a series of university Insight Camps to run this year; later camps follow in early 2016 in Greenwich and Edinburgh.
