Training for A Safe Cyber Future
How Raytheon UK is building a pipeline of next-gen cyber engineers
UK government research shows that more than half of all businesses and charities have growing cyber skills gaps.*
By 2022, there could be a talent gap of more than 1.8 million cyber specialist roles in the UK, studies have concluded. With that in mind, it’s critical to support university-level programs that ensure the UK workforce can evolve to keep pace with the demands of a changing world.
That’s where Raytheon UK’s cyber academies come in to play.
“We work with people with a variety of skills and backgrounds to help them learn cybersecurity skills,” said James Gray, managing director of cyber and intelligence at Raytheon UK. “If you’re an artist, you can be a cybersecurity specialist, and if you’re a mathematician, you can apply your theoretical knowledge to real-life, practical business situations.”
Raytheon is the first defence company in the UK to offer a Cyber Academy as part of a global Raytheon initiative. The academy, now in its second year, takes place at centres in Gloucester and Manchester. Students participate in a three-day educational workshop focused on browser security, advanced malware removal, incident response, network traffic analysis, monitoring and forensics.
University students attending Raytheon's cybersecurity skills-building workshops get hands-on exposure to techniques for identifying and resolving network vulnerabilities.
The workshop gives practical, hands-on exercises and group work to ensure a holistic approach to cybersecurity. Students learn how to recognise network vulnerabilities, respond to incidents and remove malware – vital skills required to secure IT systems.
In the UK alone, more than 100 students participated in the Raytheon programme in 2019. Students were taught by Raytheon experts and instructors from the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
*Source: UK Government Initial National Cyber Security Skills Strategy policy paper