News
18th July 2018

BHASVIC students qualify for elite final stage of Cyber Discovery Program

cyberstart elite image


Thomas Bulled and Barnaby Hill, Y1 Computer Science students from BHASVIC have progressed to the final stages of the Government’s flagship cyber security training programme, Cyber Discovery. The students from BHASVIC ranked in the top 200 out of over 23,000 initial participants and, as a result, have qualified for the final stage of the programme - CyberStart Elite.  They will now attend a weekend cyber camp in Bristol during this summer, featuring advanced hands-on challenges as well as demos and presentations from industry experts.

One of Cyber Discovery’s creators, James Lyne, Head of Research and development at SANS Institute, a key partner behind Cyber Discovery, said: “We’ve watched the progress of all of our top students throughout Cyber Discovery, some of whom didn’t even previously realise they had an aptitude for cyber security. The Cyber Discovery team is excited to now get the chance to meet them face to face at the Elite Camps. We will be taking these students on to the next stage, teaching them what it is actually like to work in cybersecurity, using real-life examples of the problems and challenges they would be facing if they were to jump into a career right now. With the current scale of the cyber security skills gap, the more we can prepare and inspire the next generation of cyber security warriors, the better chance we have of creating a safer and better place for people to be online, do business, and go about their daily lives in the UK.”

Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James, said: "Congratulations to all the students on making it to the Elite phase of Cyber Discovery. This is a tremendous achievement and the skills displayed so far show they could have what it takes to become a top cyber security professional. Through this programme we are inspiring the cyber security talent of tomorrow and giving some of the country’s brightest young minds the chance to learn cutting-edge cyber security skills alongside their studies."

As part of CyberStart Elite, the successful students – who largely completed the challenges of earlier stages of Cyber Discovery through the College’s enrichment program and in their spare time, – have the opportunity to attend a residential camp throughout the summer period, where they will develop further cyber security skills, whilst also finding out more about jobs in cybersecurity.

Ruth Hilliard, Head of Computer Science, commented, “This is an opportunity that I really wish I’d had whilst at school and I’m delighted that our students have had the chance to take part. The opportunities offered by a career in cybersecurity are vast; I’m absolutely going to encourage all of our new students to participate next year.  I’m really proud of Tom and Barney, it’s a fantastic achievement.”

The aim of Cyber Discovery is to give young people (in schools years 10-13) an opportunity to learn the skills needed to either enter the cyber security industry at a junior level, or go on to further study in the area, and was designed to grow the UK’s cyber security workforce of tomorrow. Delivered by a consortium of experts including SANS Institute, BT, the Cyber Security Challenge and FutureLearn, the programme looks to identify those with a talent for cyber security at a younger age and to encourage them towards a career in cyber.