A rush for cyber defence apprenticeships shows young people are looking to cyber security as a viable and interesting career option.
The government says there has been a huge response to an apprenticeship scheme aimed at helping to defend the UK’s national critical infrastructure.
More than 1,200 people applied for 23 cyber security apprenticeships in a pilot scheme, the government said in an announcement that coincides with the end of National Apprenticeship Week 2017 .
Successful recruits will be placed in jobs in energy, water and transport companies to help bolster cyber defences for critical national infrastructure.
Protecting the UK’s infrastructure from hostile cyber activity by strengthening cyber security and resilience is a major operational priority, the government said.
The government is keen to hear from employers in the energy, civil nuclear, water, transport, telecoms, finance and broadcast media sectors to support future rounds of apprenticeships.
The apprenticeship programme is led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and is part of the government’s National Cyber Security Programme.
The scheme is also aimed at helping to develop tomorrow’s cyber security professionals and tackle the risk of a continued skills shortage in the profession.
