The government has launched a new training academy designed to fill the widening cybersecurity skills gap and help find new stars to protect the economy and critical infrastructure.
The Cyber Retraining Academy is funded by the government's National Cyber Security Programme and will be run in partnership with the Sans Institute.
It will see students take an intensive 10-week course certified by GCHQ, after which time it is hoped they’ll be able to hit the ground running – straight into a career in cybersecurity.
The idea is to find, recruit and retrain people who might never have thought of a career in the industry before, but have a natural aptitude for it.
The free course will expose students to malicious code and practical exercises which are apparently missing from most other schemes.
An initial 50 carefully selected candidates will be asked to complete a series of practical tests including finding flaws in unfamiliar systems and dealing with a malware outbreak.
They will study how to build secure networks, combat common threats, understand how hackers think, and brief senior management on security policy.
As part of the blend of tech and soft skills, they’ll also learn about the mind-set of their online foes.
Digital and culture minister Matt Hancock urged people to apply.
“This new academy will give students the skills the nation needs to fight cyber-attacks and help us achieve our ambition of making the UK the safest place to live and do business online,” he said in a statement.
“The program is integral to our ambitious skills plan and will fast track new talent into this competitive, exciting and rewarding field which last year contributed almost £22 billion to the UK economy."
The news comes after chancellor Philip Hammond announced a new National Cyber Security Strategy, with £1.9 billion earmarked for improving the resilience of critical infrastructure, boosting policing and offensive cyber capabilities, and investing in the next generation of talent.