Northrop Grumman Corporation has renewed its commitment to run the successful CyberCenturion competition in 2016, continuing its efforts to seek out the UK’s best young cyber talent. 

CyberCenturion is the UK’s first team-based cyber security contest specifically designed to attract 12-18-year-olds.

Delivered in partnership with Cyber Security Challenge UK, the competition aims to engage talented young people with an interest in cyber as a way to address the national skills gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and encourage careers in cyber security. 

The announcement follows the conclusion last week of a highly successful 2015 pilot competition. The National Finals Competition was held in the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park and was won by a team from King Edward VI Grammar School (KEGS), Chelmsford in Essex. It marked the successful completion of nine months of intense competition representing the UK’s first national cyber security competition, outside of the classroom, for this age group. 

Eight teams competed in last week’s final, each taking on the role of cyber-experts at a fictional video games company under attack by rival businesses trying to steal valuable industry information. Their task was to protect sensitive customer data and valuable intellectual property against theft by malicious hackers. Contestants battled it out at under the watchful eyes of world-leading cyber experts from Northrop Grumman, Fujitsu, the National Museum of Computing, the National Commissioner and the US Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot programme. 

“Promoting education in STEM and building the talent pool in cyber is a core focus for Northrop Grumman and CyberCenturion has provided a fantastic opportunity for young people interested in the world of cyber security to get their first real experience of the scenarios and challenges that professionals have to grapple with on a daily basis,” said Andrew Tyler, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Europe.

“We offer our congratulations to the winners from KEGS and look forward to continuing our partnership with Cyber Security Challenge UK to grow CyberCenturion so that it will be as successful in the UK as CyberPatriot has been in the U.S. in cultivating the cyber professionals of the future.” 

“Partnering with Northrop Grumman provides an opportunity to draw on the company’s invaluable expertise and experience in delivering cyber skills education across the US,” said Stephanie Daman, CEO at Cyber Security Challenge UK. 

“People begin thinking about their future careers at an increasingly young age and it is vital that we find ways to get children interested in STEM early on, in order to curb the skills gap we are experiencing now.”

To find out more about CyberCenturion go to: http://cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk/  

Registration for CyberCenturion 2016 is now open and team leaders can register their interest here.