Ben Gummer, Minister for the Cabinet Office, announced last week that in 2017, the CyberFirst programme will offer up to 250 students a range of bursaries, paid work placements and employment after graduating. More than 20 UK companies – including Thales – have pledged their support.
CyberFirst is a pivotal part of the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Programme, which includes the formation of the new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) - a single, central body that manages incidents, threat analysis and sectoral advice.
As a founding member of CyberFirst, Thales has committed to three bursaries in 2017 and additional places in 2018 and 2019.
Gareth Williams, Vice President of Thales UK’s cyber business, said: “CyberFirst is a fantastic way to inspire talented individuals in education to think about cyber security as a potential career option.
“It’s an excellent example of the collaboration between Government and industry to address this increasingly critical subject which has become core to the prosperity and safety of the UK.
“Thales is very engaged in developing talent in the cybersecurity domain and in 2016 we hired approximately 400 cybersecurity experts across the world.”
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