The UK Government’s Cyber Explorers Cup, launched today, gives pupils between 11 and 14 years the opportunity to compete in cybersecurity challenges, improving their security skills and providing them with the chance to win tech-related prizes.

More than 60,000 students from 2,500 schools across the country have already signed up to Cyber Explorers — a free learning platform provided by the UK Government that introduces P7, S1, and S2 students in Scotland, Years 8, 9, and 10 in Northern Ireland, and Key Stage 3 pupils in England and Wales to important cybersecurity concepts. These include digital forensics, encryption, secure communication, the Computer Misuse Act, and network security.

The Cyber Explorers Cup competition is open to all schools, including home schools, and involves teams of up to four students per school completing a series of missions based on a ‘Capture the Flag’ format during the hour-long competition.

The highest scoring school in each UK nation will be awarded with tech rewards, such as vouchers for new IT equipment, as well as learning materials to help students further build their skills. The competition will run until March 2024.

The Cyber Explorers platform itself was launched in February 2022 to give pupils the foundational knowledge to pursue subjects such as computer science, and inspire them to consider a future career in tech.

Speaking on the competition and the Cyber Explorers platform, science and technology secretary Michelle Donelan said: “As the pace of technological change picks up, it is more important than ever to harness the enthusiasm of future generations, inspired by the prospect of exciting careers in cybersecurity that keep us safe. The Cyber Explorers Cup will help us do exactly that.

“I want Cyber Explorers to create new opportunities for thousands of young people to gain the crucial knowledge in cyber security, digital tech and computing we need to bolster our growing cyber sector and make the UK a technology superpower.

“With exciting activities and expert insight on offer to help build those valuable skills, I encourage teachers across our country to take on the challenge.”

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• Thousands of Students Receive Access to Free Cyber Skills
• NCSC Cybersecurity Skills Courses See Record Engagement from UK Teens
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The Cyber Explorers Cup is but one of the initiatives from the UK Government to help with the cybersecurity skills pipeline, with the Upskill in Cyber retraining scheme being another.

The government’s own Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2023 report from earlier this year found that 50% of businesses don’t have the staff to carry out basic tasks laid out in the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Essentials scheme, and that the demand for cybersecurity professionals has continued to increase year-on-year.