CYBER ACADEMY WORKSHOPS

Building digital knowledge and inspiring cyber careers

Veterans possess unique skill sets that are ideally suited to a career in cyber: attention to detail, discipline and experience of handling sensitive information. Businesses around the UK that are subject to cyber dangers, ranging from the secure storage and transmission of personal data to the identification and eradication of malware, are in demand for these skills as our reliance on technological devices increases and our need for online safety measures grows.

According to a study conducted for the UK Government in 2022 on cybersecurity skills in the labour market, 51% of all private sector businesses identified a basic technical cybersecurity skills deficit, while 33% of businesses have a more advanced technical skills gap. The data also found a net annual shortage of 14,100 workers in the cybersecurity workforce in 2021.

Raytheon UK’s annual Cyber Academy workshop successfully launched this year in November with the first of three classes. This is just one of the ways that Raytheon UK is contributing towards addressing the cybersecurity skills gaps.

The Cyber Academy’s purpose is to provide individuals with the required skills and knowledge and empower veterans to be able to confidently pursue new and exciting careers in cyber. In partnership with the Career Transition Partnership, the Royal Air Forces Association and SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity, Raytheon UK can provide free training opportunities to already highly skilled veterans.

The free workshops, delivered in collaboration with the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at the University of Texas in San Antonio, are designed to inspire and educate the next generation of cybersecurity specialists, giving individuals experience in technologies and methods to find and address newfound cyber vulnerabilities.

At Raytheon UK, we believe that upskilling our veterans for future careers is not only the right thing to do but also leverages the unique capabilities and experiences of service personnel in the vitally important area of cybersecurity. The Cyber Academy provides a degree of flexibility for veterans to join regardless of their location as all workshops are virtual.

To receive the certificate of completion, participants are required to pass an exercise in which they are tasked with securing a target system using the knowledge gained from the modules. They are then given a score based on how quickly they were able to identify, fix and mitigate any vulnerabilities or misconfigurations in the assigned targets.

In keeping with Raytheon UK’s commitment to building cyber skills in the UK, the workshops are primarily intended for those with no prior experience of security-related duties in the Windows operating system. The courses also give veterans a taste of what it’s like to work with Raytheon UK’s cyber team, whose combined skills guard against the most sophisticated attacks and weaknesses. According to University of Texas lecturer, Dwayne Williams, these types of skills put the veterans “in good stead for a future career in cyber.”