We started 2023 with a bang, holding three events to celebrate the YCSC and look forward to the new year. In this post, we will give an overview of each event and recap our plans for the next year.
The Skills Working Group
Our first event was the Skills Working Group meeting. The YCSC is committed to improving skills provision in the region and beyond, so we invited key players in cyber skills to discuss current initiatives, barriers to skills work and possible solutions. The event was led by Melanie Oldham OBE, Skills Lead for UKC3 and YCSC director.
We discussed the skills work we are currently undertaking, which includes research into skills provision in the region. We also reflected on our past work, which included engaging with local students to complete an introductory cyber security course. Over the course of 4 skills projects, we have engaged with over 400 students and put many through their certification.
Attendees were then invited to split into groups, where they discussed how skills provision could be improved. Then, everyone shared their thoughts, providing some great advice and recommendations.
The Main Event
After some snacks and coffee, we regrouped for the main event- the YCSC Relaunch!
In this section, we covered the YCSC’s successes in the past year, including the 400+ students we engaged, the 4 skills programmes we delivered and the 12 events we held. However, we also looked at how we can improve in 2023, announcing new marketing efforts such as our new podcast, Knowledge Bank and awards.
Northern Collaboration Event
In our final event, we welcomed three new presenters to give talks on their work to promote cyber in the North.
Firstly, Danielle Phillips of Inside Out Communications Consulting presented the new Northern Cluster Collaboration Project. This is a collaborative effort between the YCSC, Cyber North and the NWCSC to learn more about how and why clusters collaborate in the North, and if they don’t, what we can do to change this. Fill in their short survey to share your thoughts.
Secondly, we welcomed Rebecca Chapman, CEO of the North East Business Resilience Centre, to give an overview of their work helping businesses to improve their cyber security.
Finally, Zeshan Sattar of Comptia and Cyber Bradford gave a short introduction to his work and his hopes for future collaborations.
Our meetings could not be a success without the collaboration of our members. Thank you to everyone who came and contributed.
Want more YCSC?
If you enjoyed this event, check out our Eventbrite to grab tickets to our next edition. To read more cyber security insights, tips and tricks, explore our Knowledge Bank and follow us on social media @YorkshireCSC on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.