New funding will help drive diversity in cyber security

Four new projects across England to encourage more women, BAME, and neurodiverse candidates into a career in cyber security have been announced by Digital Minister Margot James.
They will each jointly benefit from a total investment of at least £500,000 as part of the next round of the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF).
The aim of the Fund is to boost not only the total number, but the diversity of those working in the UK’s cyber security industry. It will help organisations develop and sustain projects that identify, train and place untapped talent from a range of backgrounds into cyber security roles quickly.
Digital Minister Margot James said:
Our cyber security industry is thriving but to support this growing success we need a skilled and diverse workforce to match. These latest projects show that whatever your background, ethnicity or sex, there are opportunities to join the cyber security profession. We want to demonstrate that you can have a dynamic and exciting career in a sector that sits at the heart of our economy, and is a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy.
The projects receiving funding are:
Crucial Academy: Diversity in Cyber Security
This initiative based in Brighton looks to retrain veterans in cyber security, in particular focusing on women, neurodiverse candidates and BAME individuals.
Neil Williams CEO of Crucial Group said:
We at Crucial Academy are incredibly grateful for the support that the CSIIF provides. As veterans ourselves, we understand how programmes like this are invaluable in aiding the transition into civilian life. This support will help facilitate our continued commitment to veterans, women, neurodiverse and the BAME communities.
QA: Cyber Software Academy for Women
This project running in London, Bristol, and Manchester will train and place a cohort of women into cyber development job roles within industry. An additional cohort will also be trained in Birmingham as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority Skills Deal.
Lisa Harrington, Managing Director QA Learning said:
We are extremely excited to be awarded this crucial funding for our collaborative initiative with Women’s Tech Jobs, the QA Cyber Academy for Women. It will have an immediate impact on beginning to address the diversity issues within the cyber security sector, and be an inspirational beacon to inspire the next generation of female cyberists.
Blue Screen IT: HACKED
This Plymouth based initiative will scale up an already existing programme which identifies, trains, and places individuals, including neurodiverse candidates, those with special needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds into a cyber security career.
Michael Dieroff, CEO of Bluescreen IT said:
BluescreenIT are extremely proud to be chosen as one of the lead organisations to deliver real social impact through our Hacked Cyber Hub initiative. The project aims to build a network of UK community Security Operations hubs across the UK, which will engage and service the local community and businesses with cost effective cyber security services. These hubs will increase the employment of IT professionals through Cyber and digital apprenticeships, reducing the growing skills gap across all sectors.
Hacker House Ltd: Hands on Hacking, Training and Employer Portal
This project based online will develop a portal allowing for an increased number of people to be trained and then engage with employers.
CEO Jennifer Arcuri from Hacker House said:
Cyber skills play such a vital role in the development to the digital economy and its fantastic to see the UK government make it such a priority. The team of Hacker House are thrilled to be included in the funding of this grant as this allows us the opportunity to continue to develop content that trains and enable candidates to retain practical skills needed for roles within information security.
source gov.uk
Industry: Cyber Security News

Latest Jobs
-
- Senior SOC Analyst Level 3. Microsoft Security stack | Ability to achieve SC Clearance
- London
- To attract the right person
-
Job Title: Senior SOC Analyst Level 3. Microsoft Security stack | Ability to achieve SC Clearance Location: Hybrid remote | London / Berkshire Overview: Senior SOC Analyst Level 3 to join a specialist Managed Security Services business. You will be responsible for advanced threat hunting / triage, incident response etc with a strong focus on the Microsoft Security Stack. Key Responsibilities: Lead and resolve complex security incidents / escalations Conduct advanced threat hunting using the Microsoft Security Stack. Build, optimise and maintain workbooks, rules, analytics etc. Correlate data across Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender and Sentinel. Perform root cause analysis and post-incident reporting. Aid in mentoring and upskilling Level 1 and 2 SOC analysts. Required Skills & Experience: The ability to achieve UK Security Clearance (SC) – existing clearance ideal. (Sorry no visa applications) Current experience working with a SOC environment Microsoft Sentinel: Development and tuning of custom analytic rules. Workbook creation and dashboarding. Automation using Playbooks and SOAR integration. Kusto Query Language (KQL): Writing complex, efficient queries for advanced threat hunting and detection. Correlating data across key tables (e.g., SignInLogs, SecurityEvent, OfficeActivity, DeviceEvents). Developing custom detection rules, optimising performance, and reducing false positives. Supporting Sentinel Workbooks, Alerts, and Playbooks through advanced KQL use. Deep understanding of incident response, threat intelligence and adversary techniques (MITRE ATT&CK framework). Strong knowledge of cloud and hybrid security, particularly within Azure. Additional Requirements: Must hold or be eligible to achieve a minimum of Security Clearance (SC) level. Nice to have certifications (e.g., SC-200, AZ-500, GIAC) are desirable. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. Excellent communication for clear documentation and team collaboration. Please follow Wheaton’s Law.
-
- New Business Sales Hunter | Cyber Security (UK Based)
- London
- To attract the right person
-
New Business Sales Hunter needed | Cybersecurity (UK Based) Are you looking for uncapped commission, a fun and sociable team that drives success with no politics? If so...You must Be UK based - and able to achieve UK SC clearance. (sorry no visas) Have a demonstrable history of sales success in Cyber Security Follow Weatons law. The role: Seeking a proven New Business Sales Hunter to join an established, successful and expanding cyber security firm. New business focused - £1m GP year one target (ramped). Sell a blend of security services & professional services. Ideal experience selling some or all of the following Cyber strategy & risk management Managed detection & response (MDR) Penetration testing Compliance & audit support You: Strong cybersecurity/IT services sales track record. Confident selling into mid-market & enterprise. UK based - London commutable 1x per week. Hunter mindset, full sales cycle ownership. Don't just send an email to apply give me a call on 07884666351
-
- CyberArk Architect
- London
- Upto £110,000 plus bonus and benefits
-
Are you ready to lead from the front and drive innovation in the Identity & Access Management (IAM) space? We’re looking for a seasoned CyberArk Architect who has CDE-CPC ideally or experience with privilege Cloud, someone who can lead with vision, execute with precision, and inspire teams to deliver excellence. As a key leader in our organisation, you’ll bring your strong business acumen and a technology-focused, innovative mindset to the table. You’ll be driving strategic initiatives, shaping transformation programs, and empowering teams to think big and deliver even bigger. Acting as a subject matter expert in CyberArk Leading strategic transformations in: Identity Governance Privileged Access Management (PAM) Access Management Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) Building and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships within the team Communicating clearly and confidently — both written and verbal — to deliver updates, raise potential issues, and share insights If you are interested in the above position we are looking for people with: deep expertise and a successful track record in IAM strategy, delivery, or assurance with CyberArk Hold relevant certifications such as CDE in Privileged Cloud or Guardian Have experience in a client-facing role (preferred, but not essential) Thrive in a hybrid working environment and are available to work from our or client London office three days a week Lead with clarity, communicate with impact, and adapt quickly to changing priorities
-
- OUTSIDE IR35 Splunk Engineer- SC Cleared.
- United Kingdom
- N/A
-
OUTSIDE IR35 Splunk Engineer- SC Cleared. You will be responsible for consolidating Splunk ES data from multiple feeds into a single pane of glass to enhance visibility and streamline security operations.