Battling the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage with Digital Boot Camps

Battling the Cybersecurity Skills Shortage with Digital Boot Camps

Julie Nugent is the Director of Productivity and Skills at West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Established in 2016, WMCA is a group of 18 local councils and three local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) working together to make the West Midlands region a better place to live and work. Here she shares her thoughts on battling the cybersecurity skills shortage with digital boot camps. According to the UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey , the risk of cyber-attacks has risen sharply, at the same time that businesses’ ability to defend against them has been hindered by remote working practices. Further, cyber security skills training has failed to keep pace with this evolving landscape – one 2021 report found that the UK’s cyber skills shortage has surged by more than a third in the past 12 months. It’s crucial that we tackle this issue. What’s on the line? The heightened prevalence of cyber-attacks is clear to see, but what are the costs for businesses faced with a breach? The more apparent financial costs incurred include theft of money, corporate information, and financial information, such as bank details or payment card details. For example, in 2020, 46% of SMEs reported cyber security breaches, costing