IBM has teamed up with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) for a cyber skills program for girls.
The company confirmed it will provide the online platform for this year's CyberFirst Girls competition, a UK-wide program open to girls between the ages of 12 and 13.
Run by the NCSC, the competition is the UK’s flagship cybersecurity program for schools, with more than 85,000 students across the country having taken part since its launch in 2017.
Students participate in a series of cyber challenges ranging from cryptography and networking to AI.
"IBM is delighted to build upon our partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre by supporting the CyberFirst Girls competition with DSIT," said Mark Hughes, IBM global managing partner for cybersecurity.
"This new collaboration is a significant step towards nurturing the next generation of cyber leaders, ensuring a more inclusive and robust industry. We are confident that this partnership will make a substantial impact in encouraging more young girls to pursue rewarding careers in cybersecurity."
While average salaries in the sector top £56,000 – with the top 20% earning between £73,000 and £350,000 - almost half of UK businesses report having cybersecurity skills gaps.
More than four-in-ten have a basic skills gap, research shows, while 27% have gaps in advanced skills such as penetration testing.
But while broadening the talent pool clearly helps, official figures show that women currently make up just 17% of the UK's cyber workforce.
Diversity in cyber still lacking
Last year, the government's annual cybersecurity skills report found that, despite a significant skills gap, a lack of diversity is a persistent challenge in the workforce.
While there's been a general upward trend in the number of women from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK cybersecurity workforce, this improvement appears to have tailed off.
"If we’re going to keep the UK safe from the threats we face online, then we need to build a diverse workforce which is reflective of every community in the country," said minister for cybersecurity Feryal Clark.
“By partnering with IBM to deliver the next edition of the CyberFirst Girls Competition, we’re driving forward our plans to do exactly that – building up the skills of young girls across the country and nurturing the next generation of UK cyber leaders."
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