Teach Secondary - Issue 13.2

START HERE The UK Government is committed to building a skilled and diverse cyber workforce for an industry experiencing exponential growth. Between the ages of 11 to 14, young people really can aspire to be anything they want to be. The only certainty is that the careers of the future will demand digital skills. With a vision to fill the cyber security skills gap and inspire future talent, Cyber Explorers – an initiative led by the UK Government – was launched in 2022. It’s an immersive, gamified learning experience that offers free access to engaging cyber scenarios, challenges and missions based on real-world events students could face in their future careers. This fun learning programme equips students with skills, knowledge, and importantly, the inspiration to pursue computer science courses at KS4, opening up a range of opportunities for further training and employment. The future safety of our nation is in their hands! HOW IT WAS MADE Cyber Explorers is the result of a creative collaboration between cyber security experts and industry professionals, with valuable input from students and teachers, and has been expertly designed and built by the tech training company, QA. It’s an innovative platform, adaptable to both classroom and at-home self-paced learning, that provides comprehensive lesson plans filled with lively discussion topics, online quizzes and engaging offline activities that cater to diverse learning styles. Divided into entry-level ‘Challenges’ and more advanced ‘Missions’, it aligns with KS3 National Curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and S2/S3 in Scotland. The setting in Cyber City, where students team up with the Cyber Ranger to thwart Herbert the Hacker, while seeking to earn Cyber Squad status by demonstrating their contribution to a safer world. The programme also includes free one-hour virtual activity workshops facilitated by the Cyber Explorers Team, enabling schools to further inspire and engage their learners. THE IMPACT IT’S HAD More than 70,000 students from around 2,500 schools across the country have already signed up to Cyber Explorers. As Karen Morris, a Y8 teacher at Stroud High School observes, “The Cyber Explorers platform has provided a way for us to teach cyber skills to our Year 8 students in an engaging and creative way. The fact that this platform is so good, yet free is just fantastic!” Cyber Explorers is a great free resource for your teaching toolkit and helps get students interested in GSCE Computer Sciences as a GCSE subject. THE PLATFORM Cyber Explorers is a free cyber security learning platform for 11– to 14-year- olds – find out more at cyberexplorers.co.uk THE CHALLENGE To equip students with essential digital skills and foster their interest in cyber security careers amid growing industry demand. Cyber Explorers Government-led initiative transforms cyber security education through engaging gamified learning platform TECH IN ACTION Take part in an exciting mission by entering the Cyber Explorers Cup 2024! Students aged 11 to 14 can save Cyber City from cyber threats by decoding Herbert the Hacker’s ominous plan. Teams of four will compete in an hour-long challenge to take the title of Champion for their country, with exciting prizes to be won. The competition runs from 4th to 8th March 2023, with entries closing on 29th February – so get your team ready, and enter at cyberexplorers.co.uk/cup-2024 Did we mention? Contact: support@cyberexplorers.co.uk cyberexplorers.co.uk PA R T N E R C O N T E N T teachwire.net/secondary 41