Seventeen cybersecurity staff from 13 UTCs across England have received specialist cybersecurity training from American company Palo Alto Networks.
The staff embarked on a three-day ‘train the trainer’ course last week in order to help standardise the level of training across the UTCs, enabling staff to deliver a consistently high level of networking and cybersecurity education.
Attendees covered both theory and practical steps for installing, configuring and managing firewalls to defend enterprise networks. All participating UTCs will also receive technology and resources for use in the classroom, including a cybersecurity curriculum, assistance with adoption, and lab options.
The cybersecurity industry is at crisis point when it comes to talent; we simply don’t have enough people to do this important work in the UK.
– Michael Halliday, UTC Cyber Group
Michael Halliday, founder of the UTC Cyber Group and head of employer engagement strategy at for the Activate Learning Education Trust, said: “The cybersecurity industry is at crisis point when it comes to talent; we simply don’t have enough people to do this important work in the UK. We need a concerted commitment from companies like Palo Alto Networks to hep tackle this problem and set us in good stead for the future.”
The UTC Cyber Group was founded in September 2018 to bring companies together to help students develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding of the role that cybersecurity plays in the modern world.
Palo Alto Networks are the first to run a technology certification course for UTC staff.
The UTCs that took part are:
- Berkeley Green, Gloucester
- Bolton
- Energy Coast, Cumbria
- Heathrow
- London Design and Engineering
- North East Futures (Newcastle)
- Oxfordshire
- Reading
- Sheffield
- Swindon
- Warrington
- Oxford
- West Midlands