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“This is a hugely positive move and could be invaluable as the country looks to identify and nurture the experts of the future to defend the UK from attacks. There are a number of reasons for the shortage of girls in cyber security roles: namely a lack of diversity of role models or even awareness of the opportunities that exist; and a quite often flawed perception that some groups, such as females, don’t belong in cyber security professions. The result means girls and other underrepresented groups don’t tend to consider entering the profession nor seek coaching from others, often meaning they not only miss out on a career that they can be good at, but also in which they’d find purpose and fulfilment.

“But with cyber threats becoming more prolific and cybercriminals increasingly more creative and savvy in their approach to attacks and breaches, the people and skills available to protect organisations and society must respond, both by thinking more creatively and also by growing in number. After all, we cannot ignore the fact that females make up 50% of the population which contributes to innovation and diverse thinking – fuelled by different life-experience and perspectives – that finally puts the security professionals on the front-foot.

In a world of connected devices and, in future, more and more AI and machine learning, ensuring we give future generations the skills to protect data is vital and it comes at a key time. In light of recent attacks, it is especially important that we, as a nation, do more to help the next generation – both girls and boys – understand the positive impact this knowledge will have on their lives and future careers.”