Munster Technological University (MTU) has partnered with Cyber Skills and Research Ireland to announce the launch of its free Cyber Security Academy for 4th and 5th-year secondary school students across Ireland. The week-long programme, which will run from Monday, 9th June to Friday, 13th June, will be conducted online by the Nimbus Research Centre.
The Cybersecurity Academy is one of the few programmes in the country that is designed to stimulate interest among young minds in cybersecurity and STEM careers. From learning about key topics such as ethical hacking, cryptography, and vulnerability analysis, students will get to experience them through expert-led workshops as well as hands-on lab experience.
The labs will be delivered using Cyber Skills’ advanced cyber range infrastructure, which will allow students to explore a range of cyber environments in a safe, sandboxed and nationally accessible environment. The academy will also give students the opportunity to interact directly with real-life cybersecurity professionals and to better understand the different career paths that are currently available in the industry and beyond.
Dr Hazel Murray, Lead Instructor and Founding Team member of the Cybersecurity Academy, said,
“This unique programme is specially curated to provide students an easy and non-complex insight into the world of cybersecurity. The module and topics we’ve shortlisted for the week will ensure that the students not only gain technical confidence but also use them in their day-to-day lives, ethically. The goal is to inspire young minds to explore career paths beyond what they know and to see themselves as future cyber professionals one day.”
The Cyber Security team at MTU includes Dean Brennan, Dr Abdullah Bin Masood, and Dr Ashley Sheil, who helped finalise the programme module.
To know more, students can register for the Academy through www.cyberfutures.ie, and can direct queries to info@cyberfutures.ie.