New £500k funding to improve diversity in UK’s cyber security industry

Four new projects in England encouraging greater diversity in cyber security are set for a six-figure government funding boost.

They will jointly receive an investment of at least £500k through the next round of the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF), set up to increase both the number and diversity of new candidates in the industry.

The funding, announced this morning (January 28) by Digital Minister Margot James, will help the four organisations develop and deliver projects that quickly identify, train and place untapped talent into cyber security roles.

The projects include Crucial Academy: Diversity in Cyber Security, a Brighton-based initiative looking to retrain veterans in cyber security, focusing on women, neurodiverse and black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) individuals; and QA: Cyber Software Academy for Women, which is running across London, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester as it trains and places a cohort of women in cyber development jobs.

Also receiving funding are Blue Screen IT: HACKED, a Plymouth-based initiative that helps neurodiverse individuals, candidates with special needs and people from disadvantaged backgrounds into cyber security; and Hacker House Ltd: Hands on Hacking, Training and Employer Portal, which is developing an online platform for cyber security training and employer engagement.

Margot James MP said: “Our cyber security industry is thriving but to support this growing success we need a skilled and diverse workforce to match.

“These latest projects show that whatever your background, ethnicity or sex, there are opportunities to join the cyber security profession.”

She continued: “We want to demonstrate that you can have a dynamic and exciting career in a sector that sits at the heart of our economy, and is a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy.”

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