A free course for online spooks-in-the-making

Now a charity is giving teenagers the opportunity to take part in free cyber security courses at the University of Portsmouth.

The city has been selected to offer the free courses over the summer holidays.

They will incorporate practical learning, applied teamwork, presentations, team exercises, and hands-on experiences, to bring out students’ potential, spark their interest in cyber security, and give them a taste of what a career in cyber security might look like.

Dr Kevin P Stenson, the chief executive of The Smallpeice Trust, the education charity behind the courses, said: ‘The UK has never had a more technically-capable generation, with young people encountering digital technology on a daily basis.

‘Working in collaboration with GCHQ and training partner QA, The Smallpeice Trust is bringing free CyberFirst cyber security courses to Portsmouth to offer local students from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn new skills and translate their current digital capabilities into a successful career in cyber security.’

Dr Stenson added: ‘We look forward to welcoming the city’s tech-savvy teens on a CyberFirst course that will be packed with fun activities, team challenges, and fascinating problem-solving tasks that might just inspire them to become the region’s next cyber security expert.’

The course will give teenagers a chance to use their existing skills, build new ones, and get a taste of what a career in the rapidly growing field of cyber security might look like.

There are still free places available, so students should register as soon as possible to snap up one of the spots.

The course is open to 15 and 16-year-olds who are looking to study computer science at AS/A-Levels, or equivalents and or beyond.

Go to ncsc.gov.uk/information/cyberfirst-courses.