UTC again recognised for excellence in cyber security education

21st September 2021

Following our success in achieving Silver Award status in September 2020, SGS Berkeley Green University Technical College (UTC) is proud to have been designated as a CyberFirst Gold School by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – part of GCHQ – in an initiative to identify excellence in cyber security education.

The CyberFirst Schools programme recognises schools and colleges that share the NCSC’s passion to address the cyber skills gap and inspire young people from all backgrounds to pursue a career in the field. The UTC is one of a very small number of schools nationally, and the only UTC, to receive this award. Our security operations centre (SOC) classroom enables students to access an isolated cyber lab network to develop their skills and knowledge ready for the working world.

Rich Williams, Assistant Headteacher and Specialism Lead for Cyber and Digital, said:

“We are delighted to have been recognised for the efforts of students and staff to take us from CyberFirst Silver, awarded in September 2020, to Gold this year. The UTC exists to prepare students for a career in cyber security, and we are fast developing a track-record for this.

Our partnership with the NCSC and the CyberFirst programme affords our students unrivalled opportunities to learn about the varied cyber careers, and network with industry colleagues. We are also especially thankful to our employer partners, including CGI, NCC Group, Cyber Security Associates, Capgemini and Darktrace, who have supported students by delivering talks, even during lockdown, and running remote activities. They connect our students to the working world of cyber and inspire them in the process.”