Inspiring the next generation of cyber specialists

Part of the 2025 Lancashire Cyber Festival and organised by the Lancashire Cyber Partnership, the cyber education week earlier this month saw 12,000 children and young people - from primary school pupils to university undergraduates - take part in cyber-related activities and learn about future job opportunities set to be created by the county’s cyber sector.

At Myerscough, learners on 14-16 programmes were involved in a number of cyber focused activities for the rural community, with the aim of in the future, tailoring cyber security to the college’s land based curriculum.

Activities included:

Exploring how the OBD unit (Onboard Diagnostics) on a car can be hacked

The impact of a cyber attack on the animal industry and how this can impact animal housing units including the aquarium filtration systems and how cyber controls this

Performing a detailed cyber risk assessment at the farm looking at what the impact of a cyber attack could be on the industry, and the running of the farm with all the equipment and machines that we use

Phillippa Williamson, Leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “Lancashire’s cyber education week, which is part of the 2025 Lancashire Cyber Festival, has given thousands of young people at different stages of education the chance to experience the exciting skills and job opportunities which are offered by Lancashire’s growing cyber sector.

“To achieve this, the Lancashire Cyber Partnership worked closely with partners across the county, to create a dynamic programme of events which were directly related to the different cyber careers and study pathways available throughout Lancashire.

‘’As part of that, learners from Myerscough got to experience a diverse range of engaging cyber-focused activities , which were hands-on and inspiring, as well as educational.”

A spokesperson for the Lancashire Cyber Partnership, a strategic collaboration between Lancashire County Council, the University of Central Lancashire, Lancaster University, BAE Systems, and the NCF, said: “The Lancashire Cyber Partnership works to ensure all Lancashire residents feel the benefit of the county’s growing cyber economy.

‘’A vital part of that is giving people the chance to access education and training opportunities which can lead to a high skilled and high-value career in the cyber sector, and related industries.

 “Cyber education week, which is part of the wider 2025 Lancashire Cyber Festival, is a great example of how we go about achieving that objective. It’s fantastic that so many young people from across Lancashire got to take part, including those from Myerscough College, and see what their own future in cyber could look like.”