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500 students to gain cyber and digital skills training and qualifications through newly expanded Defence education partnership.
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Programme will break down barriers to cyber careers, particularly for underrepresented groups.
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North-West establishing itself as the UK’s ‘Cyber Corridor’, creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs and making defence an engine for growth.
500 students in Lancashire are to be given the opportunity to join the front-line of the UK cyber defence, through a new major expansion of the Government’s Digital & Cyber Bursary Programme.
The five-fold expansion of the initiative, announced today, will grow the roles from 100 to 500 students. The Government is making Defence an engine for growth through its Plan for Change, by creating high-skilled jobs and driving economic prosperity in Lancashire.
Delivered through partnerships with Digital Skills for Defence (DS4D) and the Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub, students will pursue cutting-edge qualifications in subjects including computer science, cyber security, engineering, data science, and AI across 10 colleges in Lancashire. The programme actively encourages uptake amongst diverse groups, focusing particularly on women’s representation as part of a UK-wide drive to boost female participation in the technology sector.
Louise Sandher-Jones, Minister for Veterans and People said
With cyber-attacks hitting us daily, developing cyber expertise has never been more important. I’m delighted these opportunities are being expanded in Lancashire, a region at the heart of Britain’s cyber defence and crucial to our national security.
This scheme offers fantastic job prospects locally, while strengthening our national security through a whole-of-society approach, because defending Britain requires talent from every community, across the country.
As cyber threats evolve and modern warfare becomes increasingly digital, with over 90,000 cyber-attacks hitting the UK annually as adversaries constantly probe networks and target infrastructure, national security requires expertise across all sectors.
Defence is working in close partnership with industry to develop the necessary capabilities collaboratively rather than competing for talent, recognising that a shared approach benefits everyone. This programme creates an ecosystem of local talent and world-class education to strengthen Lancashire’s cyber capabilities and national resilience.
The expansion of the scheme directly supports the Strategic Defence Review’s commitment to novel entry routes into Defence careers whilst building national resilience. Already, 25% of current participants have applied for Defence STEM programmes, across the Defence STEM Undergraduate Scheme, Cyber Direct Entry, and Frontline Command Recruitment programmes. demonstrating strong alignment with national cyber goals.
This latest move to strengthen the UK’s cyber talent comes after the Government launched the Cyber Direct Entry Pathway in February 2025, offering talented individuals an accelerated pathway into military cyber roles.
Recipients of the DS4D Cyber Bursary are expected to move into specialist cyber defence roles, as well as becoming cyber security analysts, cyber operators, digital forensics specialists, and network engineers across industry and government sectors, offering clear pathways into senior technical and leadership roles.
Alongside this, the National Cyber Force will be making its base of operations in Lancashire in 2025, with several hundred personnel planned to be based there within the first 12 months. The NCF delivers responsible cyber operations to counter and contest those who would do harm to the UK and its allies. Its arrival in the county will generate both direct and indirect career opportunities.
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, said
This expansion represents a momentous milestone in Defence’s commitment to investing in young talent and widening access to technical careers.
Collaboration with Defence industry partners, particularly BAE Systems, is central to this programme’s success. Their support in delivering real-world opportunities and mentoring for students ensures the bursary serves as both a gateway into Defence careers and a driver of regional prosperity and innovation.
Charles Forte, Chief Information Officer, Ministry of Defence said
Cyber warfare is reshaping the battlefields of today, but the long-term security of Britain depends on our ability to anticipate and adapt to the challenges of tomorrow. That means investing not only in cutting-edge technology, but in the digital, cyber, and data skills of our people.
The expansion of the bursary scheme, as part of the wider Digital Skills for Defence initiative, represents a strategic commitment to building a future-ready Defence workforce—equipped to safeguard the UK and our allies in an increasingly complex and contested digital landscape.
