This year's Cyber Security Challenge will go one step further in the fight against the bad guys by hosting a five-day training camp to help individuals swot up on the subject and train for the tasks ahead.
The cyber defence camp will take place at Lancaster University from the 5th to the 9th of September this year and security enthusiasts have been selected to take part. The plan is to create similar regional camps across the country off the back of this first one should it prove successful.
"The cyber camp concept is something completely new for this year's challenge. It represents a great opportunity for our expert sponsors to work closely with a group of talented young amateurs to develop their skills and show them how exciting and varied the cyber security profession can be," said Stephanie Daman, CEO of the Cyber Security Challenge UK.
"We are running this as a proof of concept for a series of annual regional camps across the country, run out of local universities with a speciality in computer science and cyber security to specifically target younger guys and girls with real talent."
As part of the training initiative, attendees will be put through their security paces and be tested by exercises set up by experts from Cyber Security Challenge sponsors including the Metropolitan Police Central e-crime Unit (PCeU), Raytheon, QinetiQ, HP and KPMG.
Such exercises will include training in digital forensics, informed defence, and creative security solutions. In addition, those attending will be briefed on the best ways to make their CVs and interview styles attractive enough to land them a job in the cyber security game in the future.
"I see the summer camp and our collaboration with the challenge as a fantastic way for us to develop the cyber security professionals of the future. The camp is exciting as it combines approaches from multiple disciplines into a holistic programme that aims to broaden the delegates' approach and thinking towards cyber security issues," said professor Awais Rashid, co-director of security and theme lead for cyber security at the Lancaster University.
"... We are of the view that it is important to not only help our students to gain jobs, but also provide them with the best opportunities to create them in order to grow the economic wealth of the UK and to establish the UK as a world leader in cyber security innovation and entrepreneurship."
