GCHQ has hit the headlines in the last few days, after announcing plans to pay Cyber Summer School attendees £250 a week. The announcement comes in the wake of increased interest from participants.
GCHQ Summer School
The Cyber Summer School(s) will take place later this year. There are 4 different schools in total, doubling the number from last year. The courses will aim to teach technologically interested individual’s about how GCHQ protects the UK, from internal and external threats. In order to take part in the course, you must be 18 years or older. Attendees will receive £250 per week whilst the course is running, in exchange for their attendance.
The courses are as follows:
Cyber Insiders
The GCHQ Summer School Cyber Insiders course runs from 4th July to the 9th September 2016. It will give attendees the opportunity to learn first-hand from a number of established cybersecurity experts. This course will take place at Cheltenham.
Entry Requirements:
Cyber Insiders is specifically targeted at first and second year university students, who are studying computer science, physics, maths or a related subject. You must be aged 18 years or older.
Cyber Exposure
The GCHQ Summer School Cyber Exposure course runs from 11th July till 19th August 2016. It will give attendees the opportunity to learn first-hand from established professionals within the
field, and is targeted at students who have a natural interest in technology, and a propensity for problem-solving. This course will be held at Scarborough, Manchester and Thames Valley.
Entry Requirements:
The Cyber Exposure course is an entry level course, which is open to any students who have a total of 5 GCSE’S or more in any subject. However, these subjects must include Maths and English. Applicants must also be on track to achieve two A-Levels, at grade C or above.
Reaction to the move
GCHQ’s proposal has been welcomed by the cyber security industry, with insiders commenting that this can only be good for the UK. It is well known that there is a substantial gap in young
people’s cyber security knowledge, which simply isn’t being taught or trained. Combined with new courses in cyber security being introduced in selected universities, GCHQ are well on the way to providing Britain with a safer and more competent generation of cyber security experts.
You can apply for GCHQ summer schools via the GCHQ careers website!
