An online learning academy is offering to re-skill people in 16 weeks, with no upfront costs, so they can go into cyber security. Capslock has funding through the Sustainable Innovation Fund with the government agency Innovate UK. It’s to spend up to £191 m over the next two years with the aim of helping all sectors of the UK economy rebuild from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Capslock was accepted into the UK Government-backed LORCA (London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement) ‘accelerator’ for promising companies earlier this year, and the money from Innovate UK will go towards piloting their new educational model, for UK adults.
Capslock co-founder Dr Andrea Cullen said: “In 2021, we’ll be investing the equivalent of over £1.5m to re-skill 200 adults in cyber. Re-skilling will be crucial to getting the economy back on its feet after the pandemic. This is Capslock’s sole purpose: to inject brand new cyber talent into the UK workforce, in an efficient, inclusive, and accessible way.
“Our learners receive world-class education, via a curriculum designed to get them hired into cyber security roles. It’s delivered 100% online and our learners have the chance to gain employer-approved cyber qualifications, making them workplace-ready in just 16 weeks. Our model uses Income Share Agreements, meaning our learners don’t have to pay a penny until they’re in a high-earning job, and their new employer doesn’t pay at all. We’re an education institution who invests in the learner, not the other way around.”
More from her on the Capslock blog; visit https://www.capslock.ac/what-colour-is-your-career-chameleon/.
Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said: “In these difficult times, we have seen the best of British business innovation. Capslock, along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, is an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development.”
About Capslock
The online learning academy provides education, delivered live, via a curriculum built around in-demand job roles and employer needs. The model uses income share agreements, meaning learners, who won’t pay until they land a high-paying job. In 2021, Capslock plan to be re-skilling 200 adults in cyber. Applications are open now at https://capslock.ac and courses start in February.
The firm also aims at veterans through military re-settlement.
Background
In a recent ‘ballerina-gate’ row – after an official advert ‘Fatima’s next job could be in cyber (she just doesn’t know it yet)’, was mocked and then pulled – the UK cultural sector found offence that dancers ought to re-train. However, a point made by figures in cyber is that even if all the UK’s ballerinas did re-train, that would nowhere near answer the cyber sector’s need for more women and more qualified people generally to fill job vacancies. More in the December 2020 print edition of Professional Security magazine.
