A BRAND new apprenticeship course in cyber security is being launched in York in 2020.

York College is looking for employers who want to get ahead of the game with cyber security to support their students.

Figures from the Global Information Security Workforce study show there could be 100,000 unfilled cyber security jobs in the UK by 2022. Helping to fill the regional skills-gap in this specialist growth area, York College has students keen to take on the Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeship training - but they need employers to take them on.

As part of the Yorkshire & Humber Institute of Technology, York College has invested £60,000 in a state-of-the-art cyber security lab, utilising the latest virtualised working environment.

Cyber security apprentices will focus on the technical side of security design and architecture, security testing, investigations and response. They will learn how to apply an understanding of cyber threats, hazards, risks, controls, measures and mitigations, to help protect organisations, systems and people – reducing the risk of cyber attacks and unauthorised exploitation of systems, networks and technologies.

The course is also an opportunity for employers to upskill existing staff through the apprenticeship route.

David McNorton, head of digital technologies at York College, said: “The college’s new cyber security lab is the ideal educational environment in which to develop the knowledge and skills required to secure modern IT infrastructures. The British Computer Society’s Level 4 Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeship provides businesses in the area with the opportunity to ensure they have staff who can meet and defeat threats to their IT security.”

Interested employers should contact 01904 770368 or email businessdevelopment@yorkcollege.ac.uk for details.