On top of the pressing cyber-skills gap across the industry, there is an acknowledged lack of diversity in the UK’s cyber sector. Diversity breeds diversity – and for defence capabilities to continue advancing, it’s crucial the whole sector begins to employ a wider range of people from different backgrounds who can offer new perspectives and diverse skills. The next generation of cyber professionals The pandemic is increasing the already-high demand for cybersecurity professionals as the number of cyber-attacks and data breaches continue to rise, and gaps in businesses’ security strategies are exposed. In a positive step this summer, the GCHQ’s CyberFirst cybersecurity training programme saw an increase in participants as learning shifted online. Most impressively, this highlighted a 60% increase in the number of girls who applied for the summer cyber courses when compared to last year’s intake. The number of young people applying to take part rose year on year, with a promising 31% increase in applications from male applicants, too.…
