UK looks to fill security skills gap

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Security firms are joining forces to encourage more people into the field.

The Cyber Security Challenge UK group, launched today, said the information security sector faces a growing skills gap, with new recruits tough to find.

The group said that 90 per cent of 255 security pros it surveyed believe it's already tough to find new recruits. The situation is set to get worse, with 60 per cent saying more security roles will open up as the area increases in importance.

"We have to improve the quality and quantity of talented people entering the profession to accommodate escalating requirements," said Judy Baker, director of Cyber Security Challenge UK, in a statement.

"The current system is not delivering enough skilled professionals to meet the cyber security challenges we face," she claimed. "

To do that, Cyber Security Challenge UK will be running a series of security competitions, to help improve the image of the sector and suss out talented potential recruits.

The first three contests will focus on network defence, forensics and website code vulnerabilities, the group said. They will be open to people of any age or current job, but the group admitted it is focusing its hunt on students and recent graduates.

"We need to excite, inspire and stimulate fresh interest in a career as a cyber security specialist," Baker said. "The competitions we are developing will do exactly that."

The group is still looking to sign up more corporate sponsors, with the first competitions expected to launch in September or October, a spokesman told IT PRO.

Read on for more news from InfoSec 2010.

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