Cyber Knight Rises: Bursaries For Superheroes

They are silent guardians. Their crusade: to protect the cyber domain from evasive, villainous anti-heroes. Now, thanks to Raytheon UK-funded bursaries at Lancaster University, a new generation of crime-fighting cyber knights will be mobilised to defend companies against nefarious online plots.

Lancaster students will have the chance to compete for funding for the university’s innovative GCHQ-accredited cyber course which would aid their path towards future careers in cyber security and data science; students who want to be considered for the scholarship will be set technical challenges and will be asked to respond with a one-page project outline.

If successful, Raytheon UK will provide a £3,000 bursary each to three students reading data science as well as three others reading cyber security, to supplement their annual course fees. The course, which includes a comprehensive view of cyber with modules in business, law and psychology, ensures students are best prepared for the working environment.

Raytheon UK’s head of cyber Graham LeFevre says that the UK’s shortage of cybersecurity experts and securing the retaining the company’s competitive advantage is a key driver for the company’s continued investment in cultivating future cyber talent: “As in other global regions, the UK needs more cyber specialists,” says LeFevre. “Through this partnership with Lancaster University, we want to build awareness around careers in the field, narrow the talent gap that exists, and ensure the UK is best positioned to tackle cyber threats in the future.

“Industry, academia and government are now putting a lot of effort into improving cyber education and training across the whole academic sector. Through our community relations and other initiatives, Raytheon champions the development of the next generation of cyber workforce so that our country can operate confidently in the cyber domain.”

Professor Jon Whittle, Head of the School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, says that “it is great to see a company like Raytheon investing in future talent by providing these bursaries”.

He adds: “It has been widely recognised that there is a major skills shortage in the cyber security and data science fields. Lancaster University is at the forefront of helping supply graduates equipped with the relevant skills, and experience and investments such as this from leading companies like Raytheon are a significant step towards helping to meet future industry demands.”

Raytheon UK’s commitment to knowledge and cyber defence is unequivocal, exemplified by the company’s proven ability to safeguard and protect today’s complex IT networks.

Nurturing and securing future cyber talent is the key to ensuring the company maintains a strong force of employees with the advanced technical capability to fight back against such criminal attacks. Earlier this year, the company opened a new Cyber Innovation Centre in Gloucester to protect government and commercial customers against evolving cyber threats and is looking to hire over 100 of the UK’s most talented cyber experts who will be housed at the Centre.

So, if you have the intellectual prowess, impeccable detective skills and invincible will of a superhero, and are ready to help us fight the continuous war on cybercrime, then you are the kind of person we are actively seeking to recruit. Click here to see our cyber roles.

Be our hero. Be our silent guardian. Be our watchful protector. Be our Cyber Knight.