Training

Cyber Academy finishers

by Mark Rowe

Ross Bradley, who spent the last 15 years processing car parking fines for Newcastle City Council, has gained one of the highest scores ever in GIAC cyber security qualifications.

Ross was top of the class at the SANS Cyber Academy. That chose 31 from over 25,000 candidates who completed an aptitude test, and put them through eight weeks of cyber training. Steve Jones, UK Managing Director of SANS, an international IT training body, said: “That someone who has never worked in the profession has such potential is proof that the cyber professionals we need are out there, but the current system is failing to find and nurture them.”

Ross Bradley is pictured receiving his graduation certificate from Ian West, NATO’s Chief of Cyber Security.

Ross and his fellow students completed the first SANS Cyber Academy at the end of October. The group’s GIAC exam results placed them all within the top ten percent worldwide. They are now in discussions with employers looking to recruit cyber talent; some have already received offers.

The SANS Academy was set up to find people with cyber aptitude, but not necessarily experience, as a rapid solution to the cyber skills gap. As such, it looked at bringing in people from all walks of life, including many who may not have considered cyber as a career.

Bradley said: “I was wary of quitting my job and starting the Academy, especially when I saw that people working in forensics and with degrees were going. I thought to myself, ‘I don’t have a degree, I just work for the council’, but I’m glad I went. I wasn’t expecting to do so well but I knew I had to work extremely hard. I put a lot of work in and I’m glad it paid off.”

Kate Booth quit her job as a university lecturer and was offered a place after a strong aptitude test. She says: “The course is great because it includes people of all ages and backgrounds that haven’t followed the usual route to cyber security and doesn’t just look at existing skills but also capability and potential. We also had some amazing tutors who do in real life what they were teaching us on the course.

“It’s a great model for supporting women into the industry, avoiding traditional routes which can be quite male-centric. Half the population are women so we are missing the talents of a lot of people. I was always interested in maths and science when I was at school and my parents gave me a lot of encouragement to do what I was interested in, but we need to do more as a country to support women into cyber security. There is still a way to go, but initiatives like this can really help women to break through.”

Jim Fox, Head of Cyber Development at e2e, a cyber-security company, attended the Academy’s two recruitment days and has since recruited several. “We were like kids in a candy store. The Academy is like the Harvard Business School for cyber – you know the graduates are going in based on their aptitude, and will be going through the best training possible. We are ahead of the game this year and have made some amazing recruits by getting involved early, but we expect there to be a lot more competition for graduates in future.”

Carl Urban, one of e2e’s new recruits said: “The Academy takes people with the raw skills and gives them access to world class trainers. The industry is looking at response as much as prevention and the training that we have received means that we all now feel confident contributing to organisations looking to fill their cyber skills gap.”

Steve Jones summed up: “The model has proven very effective. We spend several months assessing and identifying the most promising students – some of whom are working in related fields, but many of whom have never even considered security as a career. We give them the very best, hands-on training available and put them through three GIAC examinations. Eight weeks later you have highly skilled cyber defenders ready for employment. It’s a good model for an industry with a massive and critical skills gap.”

He added that SANS is talking to a number of employers about finding and training their 2016 intake of cyber security staff through the next Academy – and the next selection process will start soon.

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