Allstate Northern Ireland reports that its recent week-long CyberFirst Girls Defenders course was a great success, encouraging young women to pursue careers in cyber-security.
The cyber-security industry is booming worldwide and within Northern Ireland right now, but recent statistics show that it's still a mostly male-dominated career choice. Allstate Northern Ireland recently teamed up with the National Cyber Security Centre to help tackle that problem with the week-long CyberFirst Girls Defenders course carried out at its Belfast offices.
The programme is part of the UK government's National Cyber Security Programme to get the next generation of students ready to take on the tough challenges of cyber-security the country will need, with a particular focus on correcting the gender disparity in the field by encouraging more young women to pursue careers in cyber-security.
To ensure the course had full regional impact and immerse the students in the activity, it was organised as a week-long residential course in which successful applicants were lodged at accomodation at Queen's University Belfast for the duration. The course was then provided at Allstate NI's headquarters in Belfast, where 50 girls aged 13-14 were introduced to the tools, knowledge and skills required to build and protect small networks and personal devices.
John Healy, vice president and managing director, Allstate Northern Ireland commented on the scheme: "At Allstate, we are committed to inspiring the next generation of cyber professionals and promoting gender diversity. It’s an exciting time for the tech sector in Northern Ireland, specifically for cybersecurity. This is a real growth industry with the potential to boost the Northern Ireland economy, and we want to encourage women and girls to be a part of it."
Source: Written based on press release
