Blackburn College Cyber Security Apprenticeships are set to help Lancashire’s ‘Digital Revolution’

Blackburn College is leading the way for tech education by launching a pioneering cyber security apprenticeship.

Umayr Mir is Cyber/Digital Development Lead at Blackburn College, a Top 3 leading college in the country, and runs the pioneering department that is working tirelessly to provide the best cyber education.

Since taking on the role in September, Umayr, who has a background in cyber security and digital defence, has been instrumental in increasing the Lancashire college’s offering to students interested in Cyber.

He is set to become the liaison for a new cyber apprenticeship scheme earmarked for a September launch, which will initially see nine apprentices work with local cyber businesses across the region.

He said:

“Cyber security is more important now than it has ever been before, and that importance is only going to increase as more processes and business takes place digitally.

“We are including the whole of Blackburn College, all the departments and students, in our digital framework, as a way to spread the word about vulnerabilities within digital systems that people need to be aware of.

“Opening eyes to the digital world is paramount. It’s the future, and without embracing the technology now, we are in danger of being left behind.

“Lancashire has always been at the forefront of industry, and cyber is the new industry, and our plan from September is that we will deliver cyber security apprenticeships.

“It’s necessary for the future of the country that we create, nurture and help develop our own cyber security experts.

“Cyber is an industry that is constantly changing, and improving, and only by having the base technical knowledge can people embrace and go on to develop the technologies of tomorrow.

“This goes hand-in-hand with the National Cyber Force headquarters opening in Salmesbury.

“That will bring new job opportunities to the region, and there will be a lot of demand for cyber security workers and highly skilled technical jobs. We want our students to be as well-equipped as possible.”

Umayr knows that while a solid foundation in education is key to securing a job in cyber, on-the-job training is the way to succeed in the fast-paced industry.

He said:

“Education is key to success in cyber, because it gives you the grounding and knowledge that you can apply to your job.

“Software that companies use is incredibly specialised and expensive, and also vast, so it’s not possible to learn every possible system while in education.

“But that cyber education provides the necessary tools. Applying prior knowledge is paramount to understanding software you are new to.

“SOC – Security Operations Centre – analysts work with highly specialised software.

“They work to prevent attacks and threats against networks, and software, which often needs updating, brings in vulnerabilities that need to be analysed and neutralised.

“The software they work with is generally unavailable outside those organisations, and unique to them, so cyber security analysts need to be adaptable.

“A cyber apprenticeship would well equip somebody with the tools necessary, and give a great head start, to those who want to thrive in a career in cyber.”

Blackburn College currently has 25 students enrolled in their cyber bursary, and that intake is set to increase to 60 in January, as part of a programme between the Ministry of Defence and the Lancashire Skills Hub, to provide valuable experience and preparation for a career in cyber.