The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has awarded Raytheon UK, which has offices in Harlow and Gloucester, and its UK-based consortium a contract extension to deliver the ‘CyberFirst Schools’ programme in the south-west of England through March 2025.
The NCSC’s CyberFirst Schools programme formally recognises schools and colleges across the UK that are providing a structured approach to excellence in cyber security education. Raytheon UK manages the programme for the NCSC in the south-west, working with a consortium comprised of British suppliers, including CyNam, Techspark and Graphic Science, to help schools meet the criteria for becoming a CyberFirst School. Since 2022, Raytheon UK has helped 39 schools in the south-west become recognised CyberFirst Schools.
Chris Ensor, deputy director, Cyber Growth, NCSC, commented: “As part of our continued efforts to make the UK the safest place to live and work online, the NCSC is delighted to continue working with Raytheon UK to identify and develop a diverse group of young people with the drive and ability to pursue a successful career in cyber security. Following impressive results, the NCSC has extended the contract with Raytheon UK, building upon the successful work to date and linking in with the region’s rich history of cyber, computing and innovation.”
Raytheon UK works in collaboration with the NCSC and dozens of schools to manage their CyberFirst school applications, grow the CyberFirst Schools community in the south-west and run events and cyber related activities for children. The consortium uses its “CyberFirst Schools in a Box” toolkit to provide schools with a dedicated cyber security curriculum, engage with industry partners and offer extracurricular activities.
Tobiah Findlater, a project manager within Raytheon UK’s cyber team and a STEM ambassador, has been involved in CyberFirst since joining the company’s graduate programme in 2022. Since then, his role has evolved from event support to full project management delivery.
He said: “When we go to events and into schools, we’re educating young people about the diverse careers within cyber. It’s not just software development but also about the business and finance side of things. I’ve watched the CyberFirst Schools programme grow from 19 schools two years ago, to 39 schools today. To see this amount of growth in such a short period of time is testament to the dedication of the Raytheon UK CyberFirst team.”
Image: Tobiah Findlater, one of Raytheon UK’s STEM ambassadors, speaking at a CyberFirst conference in October 2024 (Image courtesy of Raytheon UK)
