Developing the next generation of cyber professionals

AtkinsRéalis is committed to delivering social value. With a large cyber security skills gap in the UK, the company is supporting the development of cyber skills in young people, to make a difference for the future.

For the past four years, we have been offering interesting, challenging, eight-week summer placements to participants on the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst scheme, in which they work with our expert cyber consultants, clients and partners to deliver projects addressing real-life, real-world challenges.

The Challenge

The UK is the biggest gross product exporter of digital services in the G20. With these new opportunities, however, comes a corresponding increase in cyber threats, increasing the importance of cyber security to the nation. To deliver this security, a skilled workforce is needed at every level, but the UK Government’s 2023 research into ‘Cyber security skills in the UK labour market’ has identified that 50% of all UK businesses have a basic cyber security skills gap, and 33% an advanced skills gap, while 41% have an internal skills gap for incident response and recovery. The estimated shortfall of people needed to meet the cyber workforce demand in 2023 was 11,200¹.  

To fill this skills gap in the future, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, set up the CyberFirst scheme ², which aims to introduce young people to the fast-paced world of cyber security, and to inspire and encourage students from all backgrounds to consider a career in the sector. With experience in providing cyber resilience expertise to a range of industries, AtkinsRéalis, one of the largest suppliers of client-side advisory in the UK security and intelligence sector, is committed to delivering social value, and is thus keen to support cyber skills development. For the past four years, AtkinsRéalis has been offering interesting, challenging, eight-week NCSC funded summer placements to CyberFirst Bursary students, in which they work with our expert cyber consultants, clients and partners to deliver a discrete project that finishes with a Dragons’ Den-style presentation to key stakeholders.

The Solution

The projects which AtkinsRéalis has created to develop the CyberFirst participants’ skills have been extremely varied. Collaborating on a project addressing real-life, real-world challenges for one of our existing clients, participants work to create innovative solutions. One group planned and delivered a honeypot project – a network-attached system set up as a decoy to lure cyber attackers, and to detect, deflect or study hacking attempts – from concept to prototype. Another group designed an ‘Intrusions and Impacts’ game, while a third built an asset discovery and anomalous detection tool for Operational Technology. Current participants are finding the vulnerabilities within a connected Internet of Things environment, to uncover vulnerabilities in robotics. 

Each group has been able to develop its consulting and project management skills, as well as its technical abilities. At the start of the placement, they are given both an introduction to cyber security and an introduction to consulting, outlining how things work within a business and how a project is run. A project skills workshop, within the first week, introduces the participants to the different roles in a project, and they are given the opportunity to choose which role to undertake. Teams are also encouraged to develop their stakeholder communication skills, gathering additional requirements from their client to understand their needs and organisational context.

In contrast to those firms focused on a specific cyber security area or product, AtkinsRéalis is able to offer a broad experience to CyberFirst participants, that appeals to those wanting to get an understanding of the variety of opportunities available, and to keep their options open. Individuals get experience of leading, or working on, a project from start to finish, delivering outcomes that can have a real impact, whether on capability development, or prospective client solutions. 

The Results

Through supporting the CyberFirst scheme, AtkinsRéalis has been able to introduce cyber security skills to young people from a huge range of backgrounds: geographers, ancient historians, chemists, physicists, and mathematicians, as well as those studying computer science or cyber security. By looking for aptitude, attitude and the ability to look at problems and solutions in a different way, we are able to help those with diverse expertise understand the potential that careers in cyber security offer.  

More than 40 professionals from across the business are involved in the placements, coming together to support the achievement of social value aspect. Clients have also valued the opportunity to collaborate with us on CyberFirst projects, as they support their own initiatives focused on young professionals’ development and social value. Project outcomes have informed both client delivery and internal ventures, as well as decision making about products to take forward. 

One key achievement is that a number of participants have gone on to develop careers in cyber security, as well as in project and programme management with AtkinsRéalis. The scheme is valued so greatly by previous participants who join the company that the 2023 placement is almost entirely organised by CyberFirst alumni who really want to get involved, keep the scheme moving forwards, and ensure the development of the next generation’s cyber skills.

 ¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-skills-in-the-uk-labour-market-2023 
 ² CyberFirst overview - NCSC.GOV.UK