Future cyber security experts test their skills in WorldSkills competition

Brandon Shirley and Josh Cooke, two Cyber Security and Networking students from Burton and South Derbyshire College, recently battled it out in the national qualifier of the WorldSkills Cyber Security competition.

Held at Macclesfield College, the national qualifier competition was an opportunity for students across the region to compete for a place in the national finals. 

WorldSkills supports young people across the world via competition-based training, assessment and benchmarking, with members’ national teams ultimately testing their ability to achieve world-class standards in the biennial ‘Skills Olympics’. The WorldSkills Cyber Security competition focuses on all the essential requirements for a successful career as a Cyber Security Analyst within any industry. It is designed to test competitors’ abilities in reconnaissance, scanning, vulnerability testing and exploitation of systems.

Speaking about the competition, Brandon Shirley said: “It went well and we enjoyed the experience. Taking part in competitions pushes you to learn more and become better at what you do. I chose to study networking and cyber security because I was interested in both the networking and ethical hacking side of things. There are so many different job opportunities to go into in the networking and cyber security industry.”

Fellow competitor, Josh Cooke said: “Competitions like this really test your skills. I have been interested in cyber security for the last few years. I found it really interesting and I would particularly like a career in red teaming, a cyber security exercise that simulates a real-life attack to help measure how well organisations are prepared. Cyber security is a good industry to go into as these types of skills are in demand and there are a range of careers to go into, from ethical hacking to digital forensics.”

Cyber Security skills are in demand in a variety of industries, and Burton and South Derbyshire College offers Networking and Cyber Security courses, as well as being a member of the EC Council (International Council of E-Commerce Consultants), a Cisco Networking Academy and a Huawei ICT Academy. Additionally, the College is set to launch a Cyber Security Lab with Stronger Towns funding that will include dedicated forensics and biometrics labs that are a natural addition to existing networking and software development. External specialists and patrons from the security services and industry are involved in the set-up of the new facilities to ensure they meet industry requirements.

Jacqui Maw, Curriculum Team Leader of Computing and Emerging Technologies said: “The learners thoroughly enjoyed participating in the event and the competitive experience, and we’re very proud of their progress. I’m delighted that they were able to demonstrate their Cyber Security technical skills developed during the course, whilst expanding on their personal skills. WorldSkills rewards excellence in technical skills and this experience will be great for their personal development and future employment opportunities.”