The department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) has announced an investment of 500,000 to develop more diversity in cyber security.
Forming part of the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF), the money will be used to attract more women, black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME), and "neurodiverse candidates" to roles in the sector.
DCMS noted that the additional funding will help organisations develop and sustain projects that identify, train and rapidly place untapped talent from a range of backgrounds into cyber security roles.
"Our cyber security industry is thriving but to support this growing success we need a skilled and diverse workforce to match," said Digital Minister Margot James.
"These latest projects show that whatever your background, ethnicity or sex, there are opportunities to join the cyber security profession. We want to demonstrate that you can have a dynamic and exciting career in a sector that sits at the heart of our economy, and is a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy."
The 500,000 will be split between four projects: Crucial Academy: Diversity in Cyber Security, which re-trains diverse groups in cyber security, QA: Cyber Software Academy for Women that focuses on teaching women cyber security skills, Blue Screen IT: Hacked, which identifies talent in diverse groups and trains them in cyber security and Hacker House Ltd: Hands on Hacking, Training and Employer Portal, a portal to help those with an interest in cyber security communicate with employers.
"Cyber skills play such a vital role in the development to the digital economy and its fantastic to see the UK government make it such a priority," Hacker House CEO Jennifer Arcuri said.
"The team of Hacker House are thrilled to be included in the funding of this grant as this allows us the opportunity to continue to develop content that trains and enable candidates to retain practical skills needed for roles within information security. "
