Why do an Apprenticeship in Cyber Security?
Cyber security is one of the fastest growing industries in the UK! In the last 18 months there was a 1000% increase in the number of cyber attacks on businesses and over £4.6m was lost to hacking. As businesses continue to invest to protect their digital data and technologies, cyber security analysts have their pick of sectors and organisations to work in - from governmental, police forces, commercial, tech and financial. An apprenticeship in cyber security puts you in the front line of defence against cyber attacks – leading to a stimulating and varied career. Not appealing enough?
The average salary for a cyber security analyst is £51,200 and a career in cyber security can lead to a salary upwards of £70,000.
Register now and take your first steps to landing a a career with the wow factor!
Interested in hiring a Cyber Security Apprentice?
Cyber security is a fast growing sector. Which isn’t a surprise considering the increasing threat of cyber attacks targeting UK companies. In 2019, more than half of British firms reported having suffered from cyber attacks. The Office for National Statistics even revealed that a person is more likely to fall victim to fraud or cyber crime than any other offence. The skills shortage of trained cyber security professionals means an apprenticeship in cyber security is a brilliant launchpad for your career to really take off.
The salary prospects for a cyber security analyst or technologist are excellent, with senior professionals earning in excess of £70,000.
Whether you want to test cyber limits as an Ethical Hacker or be a first responder to security threats as an Incident Response Analyst – a Cyber Security Apprenticeship can open the door to a variety of exciting jobs in the cyber security industry. Take a look at some of jobs this apprenticeship could lead to...
An Ethical Hacker, also known as a Penetration Tester, puts IT security networks and websites to the test. They look for vulnerabilities in their client’s systems - exploiting weak points with their own cyber-attacks before a real hacker has the chance to.
Ethical Hackers have to think like real-world hackers in order to be a step ahead of the bad guys. They will use a range of techniques to thoroughly protect and evaluate security systems, including cyber-attack simulations, promoting security best practice, analysing security flaws and conducting assessments of all digital and physical security procedures.
What can you earn as an Ethical Hacker? Depending on the level of skills and experience, Ethical Hackers can earn on average between £35,966 - £99,220.
Incident Response Analysts are the first responders of the cyberworld – reacting quickly to identify, isolate and solve security threats and cyber-attacks. Rapid response is vital with this role, as Incident Response Analysts have to investigate the source of the problem and launch straight into damage control. Protecting sensitive data and the integrity of an organisation’s system is paramount – with analysts ready to jump into action by monitoring traffic and looking for any activity that might raise alarms.
Incident Response Analysts build up a wide variety of skills including gap assessments, upgrade paths, bug fixes and knowledge of a specialised set of IT monitoring tools. They can be responsible for putting in place security procedures to use in response to cyber-attacks and incidents.
What can you earn as an Incident Response Analyst? A senior role as an Incident Manager can see you earning on average between £63,846 - £83,000.
Security engineers provide the digital walls and fortifications for an organisation or network. They develop and maintain security software to give up to date protection from unauthorised access and cyber-attacks. They will also be involved in identifying cyber invasions with traffic analysis and defending against malicious intent by making sure anti-malware programmes are updated regularly.
Security Engineers are keystones in the cyberworld and therefore have a range of skills, including automated script development, traffic analysis, software design and IT security systems implementation.
What can you earn as a Security Engineer? Depending on the level of skills and experience, Security Engineers can earn on average between £42,600 - £100,143.
Vulnerability Assessors, not to be confused with Penetration Testers, provide organisations with a ‘Vulnerability Assessment’ which can be used to update and improve outdated security systems. They use automated scripts and testing tools to look for failings and gaps in the system which could lead to infiltration.
Vulnerability Assessors aim to give comprehensive advice and valuable recommendations so that an organisation can reinforce their systems and better prepare themselves against cyber-attacks. Their skills involve testing, automation, developing new tools, providing reports on findings and explaining security issues to the client.
What can you earn as a Vulnerability Assessor? As an intermediate role, Vulnerability Assessors can look to earn on average £43,076
Cyber Security consultants are knowledgeable about a variety of cyber security issues, having widespread experience in a range of IT Security fields. Their job comprises many different areas of cyber security from software development, building and implementation. As specialists in cyber security, they can direct security strategy as well as assess and plan bespoke designs for a specific client’s requirements.
As a seasoned professional, Cyber Security Consultants have comprehensive knowledge of security systems, software and hardware as well the experience to implement these solutions.
What can you earn as a Cyber Security Consultant? A Cyber Security Consultant is a high level position. Depending on skill level and experience, you could earn on average between £43,773 - £92,414
These are just a sample of the kind of jobs you can have with a Cyber Security Apprenticeship, but there are many more including:
Cyber Operations Manager, Security Architect, Security Analyst, Risk Analyst, Intelligence Researcher, Security Sales Engineer, Cyber Security Specialist, Information Security Analyst, Governance & Compliance Analyst, Information Security Assurance & Threat Analyst, Information Security Auditor, Security Administrator, Information Security Officer.
Having a Cyber Security Apprenticeship qualification is the first step to securing your ideal role in the cyber industry, but what else do you need to make it in the cyber world? Here are some important qualities you can develop that will help you land that dream job...
Being a part of the cyber security world means adapting to technological advances and an everchanging landscape. Cyber security specialists should be looking ahead to problems we might face as a digital society in the future. New ideas are required for new challenges. An active learner with a positive attitude to self-development is better equipped to act on these changes in the industry and evolve with the rapidly turning wheel of the cyber world.
Networks infiltrated, sensitive data stolen and malware implanted – all this can happen in a matter of seconds. It’s no wonder then that employers are looking for Cyber Security specialists who can act quickly, work under pressure and be able to take effective decisions in a time crunch.
It will come as no surprise that in an industry with so many “analysts” that being analytical is on our list. However, for young candidates trying to break into the industry it is especially valuable. A lack of experience can be remedied by showing employers your investigative and methodical approach to situations and finding solutions.
In order to find solutions and combat hackers and cyber attackers, you have to think like one! Understanding how they think and work is a vital skill for any cyber security specialist. Recognising security weaknesses and methods for exploiting them will help you keep ahead of malicious intent and help you build a better defence which can stand the test.
Any job in the cyber security industry requires a broad range of talents, from highly technical abilities to clear communications skills. As a cyber security professional, you might be fixing bugs, running tests or automating tasks with scripts, but you also might have to present your security report to a room of senior businessmen and explain your work in basic terms. Therefore developing a versatile range of technical and business skills is important if you want to stand out.
Individual employers will set the selection criteria, but this is likely to include:
- A Levels
- A relevant Level 3 apprenticeship, or other relevant qualifications
- Relevant experience or qualification in basic networking concepts
- An aptitude test conducted in a virtual lab environment with a focus on networking and functional maths
The duration of the cyber security apprenticeship is typically 15-18 months.
For the duration of this level 4 apprenticeship training, apprentices will develop a range of cyber security skills in the workplace. An ongoing portfolio of evidence will demonstrate the abilities learned. Support will also be available from a mentor, who will visit the apprentice every 10 weeks and make contact via phone in between at 5 week intervals.
Apprentices will receive week-long blocks of full-time training over the first 12-14 months. This will take place at the escalla Academy in Crewe.
The EPA consists of 4 assessment methods (typically 4 months.)
Asessment method 1:
professional discussion underpinned by portfolio.
Assessment method 2:
scenario demonstrations with questioning.
Assessment method 3:
Project report.
Assessment method 4:
Knowledge test.
Performance in the EPA will determine the overall apprenticeship standard grade.
All training fees for this Cyber Security Technologist apprenticeship are covered in full by the employer. An apprentice will never be asked or expected to fund their own training.
To be confirmed
- Work from a given design requirement to design, build and test digital networks
- Analyse security requirements and develop a security case taking account of all applicable laws and regulations.
- Implement structured and reasoned security controls in a digital system in accordance with a security case
- Prevent security breaches using a variety of tools techniques and processes.
- Analyse security requirements and develop a security case taking account of all applicable laws and regulations.
- Conduct cyber security risk assessments
- Conduct cyber security audits
- Develop information security policies to achieve security outcomes within a defined scope
- Design and implement security awareness campaigns
- Manage local response to non-major cyber security incidents
- Monitor technology systems (for example computer networks and computer systems) in real time to detect cyber security incidents, breaches and intrusions
- Integrate and correlate information from a variety of sources and form an informed judgement on whether an indicator constitutes a likely security incident, breach or intrusion.
- Respond to a suspected security incident, breach or intrusion in accordance with organisation procedures any defined service level agreements or performance targets.
- Prevent security breaches using a variety of tools techniques and processes.
Register your interest
If you would like to apply for this apprenticeship, please contact us.
t: 01270 500 102
e: apprenticeships@escalla.co.uk
