A North West technology skills and innovation provider expanding to Birmingham

A North West technology skills and innovation provider is poised to expand into Birmingham after securing a new contract to deliver CyberFirst on behalf of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of the UK’s intelligence and security agency, GCHQ.

Based in Salford’s MediaCity, IN4 Group announced that this expansion would channel significant investment into the technology careers of thousands of local students.

The company is set to grow its team and will establish new offices at STEAMhouse in Millennium Point, Birmingham, aiming to forge additional corporate, academic, and local government partnerships across the West Midlands and nationwide.

IN4 has already been delivering the CyberFirst contract in the North West and is now extending its reach to the West Midlands to implement CyberFirst Schools & Colleges. This initiative, established by the NCSC, seeks to attract a more diverse group of young people to the sector and to champion cyber education in the region.

Central to this expansion are the collaborations with industry and universities in the West Midlands. Prominent Apex partners such as IBM, Northrop Grumman, KPMG UK, QinetiQ, CGI, and BT have contributed to a successful delivery model in the North West, with plans to replicate these successes in the West Midlands.

The programme aims to engage with at least 80 schools across the region, enhancing opportunities for students and schools to broaden their cyber knowledge and make careers in cyber more attainable.

Lauren Monks, CyberFirst lead and Director of Strategy and Operations at IN4 Group, commented: “This is such an exciting opportunity for IN4 Group and CyberFirst to expand its operations to the West Midlands with our pioneering programme, which is designed to spark curiosity and raise career aspirations in technology for all young people.”

“With our proven track record of delivering a social return on investment of over £1.6m in less than 12 months in the North West, we’re looking to bring the same kind of social impact to the West Midlands. We want to move away from the postcode lottery of opportunities that are dependent on the place where you live, so the next generation of young people are not only aware of careers in tech, but can also realistically see themselves following that path, no matter what background they’re from.”

Alongside its efforts in the North West, IN4 plans to establish CyberFirst MEGA Hubs across both regions, with one in each local authority area. The blueprint for the MEGA Hubs model is designed to provide every young person with access to world-class technology skills and employment pathways.

These MEGA Hubs will collaborate with education and corporate partners to deliver skills to young people and provide routes into apprenticeships, undergraduate degrees, and cyber-related careers.

Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, stated: “The NCSC is committed to encouraging diverse talent into the cyber security industry, but we can’t do this alone. Industry plays a vital role and our partnership with IN4 Group in the West Midlands will help us reach a large audience and help to build the region’s cyber skills ecosystem.”

Having already initiated activities in the West Midlands, IN4 hosted the first CyberFirst MEGA event at Villa Park, engaging 500 girls from 13 schools in the region.

Angela Moore, Senior Delivery Manager – Careers Strategy at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), remarked: “It was great to witness first hand at the MEGA event at Aston Villa Football Club just how young girls can be inspired by tech and the potential the sector holds for them in the future. Amazing work and I’m very excited to see how this develops in the future and brings further opportunity for our young people in the West Midlands.”

Since May 2022, CyberFirst North West has reached over 4,500 young people, including 48% from ethnic minorities and 80% female. A key aim is to inspire girls, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to pursue STEM careers, leveraging IN4’s extensive experience and collaboration with expert stakeholders in the West Midlands to tailor the CyberFirst offerings to local students.