Inspiring people

On 5th-7th June Hacktonics joined Cheltenham Science Festival for the first (and hopefully not last) time – setting up our ICS Security training boxes along with our LINICS platform and some hacking challenges to inspire the next generation of OT security professionals. 

Celebrating the 80th birthday of Cheltenham Festivals, the Science Festival hosted over 6,500 school children in its free interactive zones. Hacktonics were one of more than 40 partners to support the Festival this year, bringing hands-on activities and an opportunity to experience STEM in a real-world context. We see this as an important opportunity to continue our support of the government’s CyberFirst, now TechFirst, programme - investing in young people and empowering local communities to drive economic growth by opening up employment in the high-tech industry where there is a real dearth in talent (this week, TechNation reported that 1/3 of UK tech founders identify lack of talent as a barrier to growth). 

Our team had a great time meeting Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 pupils, as well as families and visiting adults, discussing the implications of cyber security vulnerabilities on our critical national infrastructure and what we can do to address them. There is a particular shortage of cyber security professionals in the UK, even more so in OT security. The right training and resources are critical to addressing this, as is ensuring that children and young people see future career pathways for themselves as OT security professionals. We met amazing and talented children and young people who were keen to learn how they may make a difference in their communities and the society-at-large by learning how to protect critical infrastructures from cyber attacks. They loved the hands-on experience of working with real equipment in our ICS Security Training Boxes, trying their hand at some of the tools within LINICS and, the most committed ones, even had a go at the ladder logic challenge. 

We had three fully-packed days but they were well worth the effort and commitment. We went to the Festival to inspire young minds. We returned very much inspired ourselves by the future talent. Key to harnessing the potential of these future professionals is to ensure that they have learning pathways that continue to engage their interest in cyber security and OT security. We look forward to future opportunities, including engaging with the Tech First programme, in order continue to play a key part in developing the next generation of OT security professionals.