Top cyber experts say the Government must encourage cyber security apprenticeships to cope with the cyber security jobs crisis threatening the future development of the economy’s essential tech sector.
Speaking in interviews for ‘Getting into the 21st century: get a job in cyber ‘, November’s PassW0rd radio show on ResonanceFM, some of the UK’s most influential cyber security experts have called on the Government to help the industry to develop apprenticeships and create employment opportunities in the lucrative career.
The call comes in the same week that a report from the leading global technology recruiter Harvey Nash Group revealed that cyber security skills were now the scarcest in the world.
According to its Digital Leadership report a collaboration between the recruiter, MIT and the IT organisation CIONet: “More than two-thirds of digital leaders report being unable to keep pace with change because of a lack of expertise, the highest it’s been since our research began. This may present a greater challenge for those who are planning radical changes to their business model.
“The top three skills being sought are: cybersecurity experts, big data analysts and technical architects.”
It is a scarcity that Professor Keith Martin, the head of the Information Security Department at London’s Royal Holloway University, the UK’s first university to create cyber security degrees, blames on the industry.
Unrealistic employer expectations creating cyber security skills crisis
“There is a gap between what employers consider as the skills they need for roles and the supply. The cyber security jobs crisis is being caused because many employers are placing too great an expectation on skills and want people coming in trained and ready to go. They are reluctant to invest in developing and growing people to fill the roles that they need.
“There is a shortage of qualified people, which is made worse by people expecting too much particularly of new people entering the profession for the first time.”
The insistence on technological skills in cyber security is challenged by Colonel John Doody, one of the cyber security industry’s most revered figures, the former head of GCHQ’s Communications Electronic Security Group who was given the title ‘Godfather of cyber’ at an awards ceremony earlier this year. Colonel Doody points out that not only are there lots of jobs on offer they are also very well paid.
“If you look at the marketplace today, there’s hundreds of jobs open in cyber. It pays extremely well when I think of penetration testers that go into systems and look around the system, they’re getting paid about 80K to 90K. If you go into banking, you don’t get that much when you start off.
“Is it a selective or special profession? No. It’s about common sense. Having a computer science degree is a good start if you want to get in at the right level. But if you just want to adapt and learn the basics, it’s not a difficult profession,” said Colonel Doody, adding that it is a profession that is also pushing to become more diverse.
Diversity essential for industry
“We are looking very hard now at bringing more women into the profession. I used to chair conferences and I used to look around the audience and there wasn’t a female in sight. Now they’re increasing in numbers and they bring new dimensions to cybersecurity. The industry is actively looking to change and become more diverse and wants people from every imaginable background,” said Colonel Doody, who said one potential solution to the cyber security jobs crisis was the development of apprenticeships by the industry. A point enthusiastically endorsed by Professor Martin.
“I think that apprenticeships are really about allowing people fast routes into professions without going through the University degree stage. It is one way you could move people through the system a bit more. Also, I think more willingness to support on the job training and developing skills in the workplace is another way around this.”
A change in working practices that was also picked up by the Harvey Nash Group report: “As technologies become more user-centric and less ‘technical’, the skills required to configure, support and develop them also change. This opens up more people to opportunities in the sector. The use of niche consultancies to bridge the gap in specific expertise is also a preferred option and offering apprenticeships a popular choice.
Business executive upskilling trend
A trend identified by Beth Porter, President of Esme Learning, which teaches AI and cyber security to business executives at courses in MIT, and Oxford and Cambridge universities.
“ I think we are seeing business executives from other disciplines wanting to do the courses because they recognise that we just need to work toward a better and more secure environment for everybody, because not knowing enough about IT and cyber security puts everybody at risk. A lot of the people we are seeing come from financial services, come from health care, come from various business sectors. They are coming from both the middle and the C-level parts of organisations, because they’re trying to figure out not just what to do themselves, but how to guide their teams. They also see it as enhancing their career opportunities.”
