"Lockdown Sees Increase in Girls Applying for GCHQ Cyber Courses"

According to the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a British intelligence agency, there has been a significant increase in the number of young people, especially girls, applying for online cybersecurity skills courses offered by its CyberFirst program during the COVID-19 pandemic. More girls have taken part in this year's CyberFirst summer courses than last year, as indicated by the 60% increase in girls' applications. The number of girls who applied this year increased to 1,492 from 930 in 2019, and boys' applications grew to 2,398 this year from 1,824 last year. The CyberFirst courses teach young people, between the ages of 14 and 17, skills in digital forensics, ethical hacking, cryptography, and digital problem-solving. The cybersecurity skills of young girls must continue to be cultivated to increase the number of skilled security professionals and to diversify the cybersecurity workforce. This article continues to discuss the increased participation of girls in cyber courses during the pandemic, what is offered by the CybeFirst program, and the importance of addressing the cybersecurity skills gap.  

Computer Weekly reports "Lockdown Sees Increase in Girls Applying for GCHQ Cyber Courses"