In 2018 Elaine Brown MBE identified the need to bring together employers and partner organisations involved in the delivery of cyber activities into schools. She formed the Unlock Cyber project to support and enhance the cyber offering. The project group now produces employer-led events and activities and signposts those provided by other delivery partners, making Unlock Cyber a one-stop-shop for schools and colleges.

Unlock Cyber holds two flagship events every year. In January there is the Unlock Cyber Careers event for year 12 students (age 16/17) and in June there is the Unlock Cyber Taster Day for year 7/8/9 students (ages 11 – 14). Both are attended by hundreds of school students from across the region and take place at UWE’s Frenchay campus supported by partner employers.

To date we have delivered activities and events to more than 100 schools and colleges across the region. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in the number of schools and colleges offering Computer Science at GCSE and A’ Level.  We are also raising awareness of cyber career opportunities with local employers in order to develop a cyber skills pipeline.

We want to develop employability skills in young people to give them the confidence to achieve.  This is just the start….

100+

Schools & Colleges

An employer-led collaborative initiative to help raise awareness and understanding of the cyber eco-system across South West England, in partnership with academia. We aim to:

• Excite and engage young people in order to build a pathway for a diverse future workforce with the right cyber skills.

• Simplify and signpost the complex landscape creating clarity around the cyber pathways, driving improvements where needed, to make cyber careers accessible for secondary education

• Equip educators with the right tools and access to resources to deliver cyber in schools and colleges.

• Create a community of like-minded cyber enthusiasts to deliver awareness events to open the front door on cyber careers in South West England.