The world’s biggest EdTech event, BETT UK, is just around the corner. I’m particularly looking forward to the panel session with our partners from the British Esports Federation on the power of esports to harness future skills.
Our research shows that esports can help close the digital skills gap within today’s workplace by developing science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based skills. It might surprise many, but spend any time watching young people play esports, and you’ll witness them analyse patterns and trends, assess risk, identify threats, and demonstrate communication and time management – all skills perfectly well placed for a career in cyber security.
The sharp insight of youth is ironic when you consider how vulnerable the education sector is to cyberattacks.
Anyone within the tech industry understands the threat that the cyber skills gap in the UK represents, so if there are innovative avenues to get more young people prepped for a career in cyber, I’m all in. However, recent research suggests that young people still lack the training or skills to protect themselves against attacks, let alone consider a career in the cybersecurity field. In our recent ‘Future-Proof’ research report, the majority (52%) of Gen Z respondents highlighted having no formal cybersecurity and safety training but, despite this, believed that the digital future must have a strong cybersecurity backbone. Moreover, 55% feel a need for robust legislation and higher investment in cybersecurity to protect national infrastructure better and ensure private businesses meet strict standards.
The sharp insight of youth is ironic when you consider how vulnerable the education sector is to cyberattacks. Cyber attackers may not have educational institutions at the top of their hit list, preferring instead to concentrate their attack campaigns on big-ticket businesses. However, schools can still become opportunistic targets, as they often have a plethora of valuable, sensitive, and personal data stored on systems that lack sufficient security measures.
As the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned in his speech on cyber operations just before Christmas last year, 40% of the attacks the National Cyber Security Centre addressed were against the public sector. The vulnerability of educational institutions is not without risk, nor is it something for us to ignore. We must do what we can to support teachers, school IT teams, parents, and students alike to understand their part in fortifying security defences through robust cybersecurity solutions and by adopting better cyber awareness and hygiene.
Cybersecurity is a complex and ever-evolving challenge, but if we can support children from a young age to understand the basics – the importance of strong passwords, how to recognise phishing, and keeping personal and school devices separate – we will pave the way for their entry into the workforce with the skills required to interact with technology safely.
I also hope that by starting young with cyber security upskilling, we will encourage more young people into technology-driven careers. Globally, we’re facing a shortage of digital skills, and those who don’t have access to devices, broadband, and IT education risk falling further behind. In the same Future-Proof report, 40% of respondents said their school education did not prepare them with the technology skills needed for their planned careers and over a third (40%) said making technology courses at all levels of education more interesting and more widely available, would help bridge the digital skills gap.
Gen Z is the first digitally native generation and will all too soon find themselves in leadership roles. As today’s business leaders, we must ensure the next generation understands the basics of cybersecurity and digital literacy basics. There are several ways that private organisations can have an impact:
- Partner with nonprofit organisations to provide students and educators with the resources to develop their digital literacy and cyber expertise.
- Leverage internal cybersecurity experts’ skills as programme advisors by offering volunteering opportunities. This amplifies your organisation’s impact and gives internal employees a chance to give back to the community.
- If you already run similar programmes, consider adding a cybersecurity element to these to understand better the challenges we’re facing and how to overcome them. We, too, have a lot to learn!
- If possible, work with your public affairs team to show support for government investment in cybersecurity education.
We prioritise protecting our data because we know there’s no innovation without cybersecurity at the forefront. And we work with customers daily to ensure they practice holistic security, encompassing everything from vulnerability management to defence against ransomware and cyber recovery. But to guarantee we set the future of our industries up for success, we must also find ways to help young people protect themselves (and their future careers) against the risks associated with operating in a digital world.
