The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is providing £20 million for extracurricular cyber security lessons in schools.
The cyber security curriculum will educate and inform teenagers aged between 14 – 18 over the next five years in an aim to increase defences against hackers and terrorists.
Thousands of teenagers will have the Cyber Schools Programme introduced into schools, which were created to mix classroom and online teaching with real-life practical applications.
This comes shortly after a warning from MP’s in the waning confidence in the Government’s ability to protect against high-level cyber attacks due to a skills shortage.
The rise in threats and loss of electronic data due to cyber crime, espionage and accidental disclosure is considerable in the last few years.
We ask ESET IT Security Specialist, Mark James, will the cyber security education have an effect on the skills shortage or just lead to more technology savvy teens?
“If we want to bridge the gap in cyber security skills in our youth, then we have to invest in them at an early age.
“If the right foundations are laid then the interest will follow.
“The industry itself is ever changing and one that offers fantastic opportunities for someone that excels at changing landscapes and adapting to new challenges.
“The biggest problem currently is getting the right foundation skills.
“All too often it’s self-taught or code mashing in the gaming world of mods or hacks that may spark the interest.
“Designing the right structure will be a challenge.
“The interest and goals need to be tailored explicitly with the endgame in mind, and that’s not an easy task.”
Would you encourage your children to take part in a programme like this? Let us know on Twitter @ESETUK
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