Graham Stuart MP encourages schools to submit teams for cyber competition
Thu 24th October 2019
Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, has written to schools in Beverley and Holderness to encourage them to get involved in the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls’ Competition.
Created in 2016 as part of the Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy to respond to evolving digital threats to the country’s infrastructure, the NCSC runs CyberFirst; which is a series of freely available short cyber courses aimed at teaching children aged 11-17 about cyber security.
Since 2017 they have run the CyberFirst Girls’ Competition to promote the uptake of girls in STEM subjects with a view to increasing the female talent pipeline in cyber security.
Explaining why he has written to local schools about the scheme, Graham commented: “I think it’s really important that we get kids interested in cyber security because of how pertinent it is in today’s world.
“I was delighted to see that Beverley High School reached the national finals last year and I’m hoping we can see similar success for schools in Beverley and Holderness this year.
“I think it’s great to encourage girls to get involved in STEM subjects more generally, and this competition offers a wonderful opportunity to visit exciting venues, meet public figures and hear from senior female leaders in tech.”
The free-to-enter competition asks schools to submit teams of four Year 8 girls to take on online puzzles and challenges, and there is no limit to the number of teams which can be submitted.
The highest scoring teams progress to a semi-finals stage on 8th February 2020 with the Grand Final taking place on 15th/16th March, where they’ll take part in a simulated real-world cyber incident.
Graham added: “Over 24,000 girls have taken part in the competition since 2017, and nearly all of them have said that they wanted to learn more about cyber security as a result.
“I think it’s a great way of teaching some 21st century skills while being good fun at the same time.”
Registration for the competition opens on Monday 2nd December 2019.
