University of Gloucestershire welcomes over 1000 students to annual cyber event

As part of Gloucestershire’s first Tech Week organised by CyNam, University of Gloucestershire hosted the annual EmPowerCyber event, designed to educate and inspire students to explore careers in cybersecurity and technology.

Delivered by CyNam, partner of University of Gloucestershire, in partnership with CyberFirst South West, the event saw Oxstalls Sports Arena transformed into a cyber skills hub featuring 25 activity host stations where students from over 25 schools got hands-on opportunities to develop vital digital skills.

The event brought together Year 8 and 9 students from across the region on Ada Lovelace Day – a day to celebrate her legacy, and to inspire females to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The day consisted of 3 sessions ensuring inclusivity; one delivered to girls-only, one aimed at students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and an open session for all.

One of the many inspiring activities students had the opportunity to get hands-on with was FutureCraft, the groundbreaking new app developed by Amazon Web Services and the Golden Valley Skills Hub partners, including the University. Ahead of its rollout to schools and colleges, students at the event interacted with the app, solving challenges and puzzles designed to test pattern spotting, problem solving and analytical thinking.

Professor Cathia Jenainati, Head of the School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences, said: “We are proud to host and sponsor this incredibly important initiative which aims to support those who are underrepresented in the cyber workforce by developing their digital skills and exploring careers in the field.

“We value our partnership with cyber and technology organisations, local businesses, and educators. Together we strive to inspire future talent and celebrate inclusion in the cyber industry. Events like this help to cement Gloucestershire’s future as the cyber capital of the UK.”

The University’s involvement in the event follows recent staff and student success in the cyber sector. Ben and Rhys, apprentices on the Cyber Security Degree Apprenticeship programme, were recently tasked with the set-up of IT and cyber security systems in cyber security company Leonardo’s new building in Bristol.

This marks the first time such a significant project has been entrusted to apprentices by the organisation, reflecting the exceptional talent of the apprentices and the high standard of teaching and support on the programme.

Buck Rogers, Professor in Cyber Security, also celebrated success recently with the publication of his article Protecting Self-Hosted Payment Systems Against Ransomware: A Comprehensive Guide in the first edition of The Journal of Financial Services. His article provides key recommendations to strengthen digital resilience in financial organisations.