Cyber Local Funding: Boosting Cyber Skills across Diverse Communities in England and Northern Ireland

It’s been a good week. It’s always good when I spend every day talking about cyber skills. The reason that I’ve been able to do this is because of three things:

• A coalition of like-minded nations and organisations (including CompTIA ) was convened at Wilton Park to focus on boosting cyber skills.
• The release of the Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2024 report.
• Cyber Local Funding competition launched to deliver innovative interventions in 7 regions (Northern Ireland,? North-West England, South-West England, Yorkshire & Humber, Northeast England, East Midlands and West Midlands).

If you read the Cyber security skills report, you would have noted the following stats:

• 44% of UK businesses have skills gaps in basic technical areas (e.g. creating backups, controlling privilege access, configuring automatic updates, firewall settings, storing personal data securely, detecting malware, and more)
• 15% of the industry are from an ethnic minority background (9% in senior roles)
• 17% are female (12% in senior roles)
• 13% are neurodivergent (8% in senior roles)
• 6% are disabled (4% in senior roles)
• There is an annual need for 11,600 cyber professionals, and 8,100 individuals entered the industry in 2023, leaving an annual shortfall of 3,500 people.

Alongside this, the top locations which have the highest number of core cyber job postings include (brackets have the number of postings):

• Manchester? (1,883)
• City of Bristol (1,486)
• Birmingham (1,466)
• Leeds (1,196)
• Belfast (576)
• Sheffield (561)
• Liverpool (510)
• Newcastle upon Tyne (375)
• Nottingham (361)

Cyber Local funding is an ideal vehicle to address these issues. The funding opened on Monday, September 16, and has a tight timescale, so this article aims to provide some ideas on how to harness CompTIA solutions to deliver outstanding interventions.

Why CompTIA solutions? The cyber security skills report explicitly mentions FOUR CompTIA certifications. Not only that, we provide a holistic set of instructor resources and can accommodate multiple delivery mechanisms, including instructor-led, virtual delivery, hybrid delivery, in-classroom delivery, and anything else that you can imagine.

Oh, and CompTIA certifications are vendor-neutral, aligned to job roles , and every certification (regardless of level) includes a cybersecurity component .

Ideas for Cyber Local funded programmes

Broad and Basic with Tech+

People need a way to discover the foundational tech understanding needed to succeed in technology-based roles, including cybersecurity. The CompTIA Tech+ provides the tech literacy essential for today’s digital economy, making it the perfect starting point for anyone looking to enhance their career with technology skills.

Focus on Cloud Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Security with CompTIA Cloud Essentials+

The cloud is part of our everyday lives. It’s easy to think that the cloud vendor manages cybersecurity, but we are all subject to the shared responsibility model. So, everyone needs knowledge and understanding of cloud technologies' foundational business and technical components. CompTIA Cloud Essentials+ provides the business acumen to make informed decisions about cloud services, including governance, risk management, and compliance.

Upgrade your first line of defence with the CompTIA A+

When a user receives a phishing email or has queries about data security, they always look to the service desk to help them. The CompTIA A+ enhances the skills of technical support professionals to support hybrid workforces. This increases the overall resilience of the organisation.

Forge a path to Cyber Essentials using CompTIA Network+

Cyber Essentials outlines the basic technical areas an organisation needs to implement to secure itself. This requires a good understanding of the networking technologies all organisations rely on. CompTIA Network+ focuses on networking concepts, implementing and configuring technologies, operating and supporting the networked system, and enabling the appropriate controls for network security.

Instil cyber confidence with CompTIA Security+

Nascent or aspiring cybersecurity professionals need to have critical skills related to current threats, security controls, automation, zero trust, IoT, risk, and more. CompTIA Security+ builds the skills required to recommend and implement security solutions. This is ideal for professionals with some tech work experience.

Explore opensource operating systems with CompTIA Linux+

Enterprises of all sizes are utilising technologies driven by the command line interface. The Linux operating system is prevalent across the internet, where it powers 96.3% of the world’s top web servers. Hence, the skills and knowledge to implement, configure, administer, and protect Linux systems are critical commodities. The CompTIA Linux+ builds the competencies required by early career professionals.

Enhance incident response with CompTIA CySA+

We often talk about how it's not a case of IF a cyberattack will happen, but rather more of WHEN it will happen. To ensure that a cyber team can carry out incident detection, prevention and response through continuous security monitoring, it must be thoroughly prepared and baselined across these skills. CompTIA CySA+ ensures that Security Analysts can apply updated concepts of attack methodology frameworks, perform incident response activities and understand the incident management lifecycle.

Build security testing skills with CompTIA PenTest+

A penetration test is an authorised simulated cyberattack on a computer system to evaluate its security. This identifies an organisation's weaknesses and enables strengthening them. While these skills are needed, they rely upon pre-existing skills in Network+ and Security+. The CompTIA PenTest+ builds upon foundational professional networking and cybersecurity skills to enable practitioners to conduct a penetration test from the initial engagement to provide a report for various stakeholders.

Supercharge Cyber Careers with CompTIA SecurityX (formally known as CASP+)

Launching in November 2024, the CompTIA SecurityX certification is the latest incarnation of the CASP+. SecurityX builds and validates the security architecture skills that are much needed in the industry. Programmes using SecurityX would look at a community of intermediate and advanced cybersecurity professionals who want to move to the next level and, therefore, make a significant contribution to making the UK the safest place to live and work online.

We also have a range of other products and solutions that can fit this funding opportunity, so don't hesitate to contact my colleagues or me (LinkedIn profiles below) to discuss how CompTIA can add value and enrich the impact of your innovative intervention.

• Academic Institutions/charities/non-profits: Natalie Richards
• Independent Training Providers: Marie Cronin
• Corporate Organisations: Vedran Grebenar

REMEMBER you only have until Friday, 27th September, to put together a 350-word expression of interest to the Local steering group:

https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2037/overview/d949561f-60cd-4e50-8edf-be85c29eaaf5#supporting-information

All the best, and let's work together to close the cyber skills gap!