On 5th November Tuesday from 10am until 1pm, iCSS organised a second half-day 2024 NCSC CyberFirst Girls Competition Familiarisation Day at The Folkestone School for Girls. Like the first 2024 NCSC CyberFirst Girls Competition Familiarisation Day held in Maidstone, the second event has the same main aims: to encourage more local schools and girls to participate in the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre)’s CyberFirst Girls Competition in 2024 (between 18th and 27th November) and in future years, and to inspire more local girls to consider cyber security and computer science for their future career.
The event was organised by the iCSS (Institute of Cyber Security for Society) of the University of Kent as a member of NCSC’s CyberFirst programme. In addition to the host school, the event was also supported by KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster Ltd), two female cyber security professionals, three University of Kent UG/PGT students representing the CyberWomen initiative which is part of the KMCS3 (Kent & Medway Cyber Security Student Society), and three cyber security researchers from the University of Kent and Alan Turing Institute (ATI). It is part of the activities of the KMCSN (Kent & Medway CyberSchools Network), a local schools network co-founded by iCSS, KMCC and The STEM Hub managed by Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU).
The event saw 42 girls of 12-13 years old (Year 8) from The Folkestone School for Girls and St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School to hear about the 2024 NCSC CyberFirst Girls Competition, local cyber skills development and awareness activities organised by iCSS, KMCC and KMCSN, and also career stories of the following five female cyber security experts:
- Precious Jason, Cyber Security Business Analyst, Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS), UK Parliament
- Funke Omolere, Senior Technology Compliance Product Owner, Adobe UK; Training Lead (Early Careers), Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) UK & Ireland
- Tiffany Campbell, UG student, School of Computing, University of Kent; Vice President for CyberWomen, KMCS3
- Prabhashini Rajapakse Kankanamalage, UG student, School of Computing, University of Kent; Member, KMCS3 and CyberWomen Initiative
- Zehra Kuru, PGT student, School of Computing, University of Kent; Member, KMCS3 and CyberWomen Initiative
The event’s last formal session saw hands-on exercises on how real challenges of the 2024 CyberFirst Girls Competition will look like to help prepare the participating girls for the Competition. The hands-on session was delivered by Adel Elzemity, PhD student at iCSS & School of Computing, University of Kent, with support from all the above-mentioned female cyber security experts, Professor Shujun Li of iCSS, teachers from the participating schools and Dr Matthew Boakes, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Alan Turing Institute (ATI) and a former UG/PhD student at the University of Kent.
Professor Shujun Li, Director of iCSS who also leads the operation of KMCSN and the cyber skills activities of KMCC, said: “This is the second event we ran this year for promoting the NCSC CyberFirst Girls Competition among local schools in Kent and Medway. We were very glad to work with the Folkestone School for Girls for the second event. They had many girls who are keen to participate in our first event held on 8th October, but could not go due to the space constraint, so we decided to run a second one to meet such demands. We were also glad to see 11 girls from St John Fisher School to join the event. Combining the two events, we helped 98 girls from 8 local schools to prepare for the Competition and we hope more will be encouraged to participate. We hope to work with more local schools and pupils on raising cyber security awareness and inspiring more to consider a cyber security career pathway.”
Konrad Eke, Director of Careers and Leadership Learning at the Folkestone School for Girls, said “We were delighted to partner with iCSS to host the CyberFirst Familiarisation Day. The students were inspired by a diverse range of speakers, including current University of Kent students and women working in the cyber security sector. This was especially impactful, as it allowed the students to envision where they could be in the future if they chose to pursue a career in cyber security. The students were fully engaged in the presentations and came prepared with insightful questions for the panel at the end of the discussion. The final activity of the day consisted of a series of hands-on challenges, similar to those featured in the CyberFirst Girls Competition. Everyone eagerly embraced the opportunity to test their problem-solving skills, tackling almost every challenge within the time limit. We are excited to see how the students perform when the competition begins on the 18th of November, and this event has increased their enthusiasm and anticipation for what’s to come.”
Rebecca Salmon, Teacher of Computing at St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School, said “Attending the event was a fantastic opportunity for us. The girls were truly inspired by both the professionals and students, and it has prompted some of them to rethink their career paths. They particularly enjoyed the practice competition challenges and are now excited for the actual competition later this month!”
Precious Jason said “It was an honour to speak at the CyberFirst Girls event and share my personal journey as a cyber security business analyst at Parliamentary Digital Service. I was impressed by the enthusiasm and curiosity the girls showcased and encourage them to consider career paths in cyber security.”
Funke Omolere said “It was a fantastic experience speaking and connecting with such enthusiastic young minds at the NCSC CyberFirst Girls Familiarisation event at the Folkestone School for Girls. Collaborating with iCSS at the University of Kent and witnessing the talent and energy these girls brought to the cyber competition was truly inspiring! Sharing my journey in cyber security was incredibly rewarding, especially as I watched their excitement and curiosity grow during the hands-on session. Initiatives like these are invaluable for encouraging girls to consider cyber security as part of their education and future careers. Seeing them light up with new possibilities reminded me why I’m so passionate about this work. As a Training Lead for Early Careers in WiCyS UK&I, I’m thrilled to be part of the movement to empower more women in cyber security and inspire the next generation of innovators in this vital field.”
Adel Elzemity said “It was fantastic to lead another hands-on cyber security workshop at the Folkestone School for Girls! The students’ energy and passion for learning were truly inspiring. They tackled each challenge with focus, asked excellent questions, and showed a real appetite for understanding cyber security. Events like these are crucial—they make cyber security accessible and help students gain confidence in navigating the digital landscape. I’m grateful to contribute to initiatives that equip young people with the skills and awareness they’ll need in the future, and I’m excited to continue inspiring the next generation of cyber-savvy individuals!”
Tiffany Campbell said “It was a fantastic opportunity to be part of this session, sharing my journey as a female university student alongside other CyberWomen members to serve as role models. We demystified the idea that technology is just for boys and showed them that cybersecurity is not purely technical. The girls enjoyed the challenges and demonstrated a strong team spirit, showcasing the power of having a community of girls in technology. I believe this opportunity not only helped build their confidence but also made cybersecurity feel more accessible and approachable.”
Since the CyberFirst Girls Competition will start on 18th November, no more Familiarisation Days will be organised in 2024. We plan to repeat such events in future years. In the rest of the 2024-25 year, we will turn our attention to other school outreach activities including but not limited to other CyberFirst-branded events. Local schools and parents who are interested in suggesting ideas are encouraged to contact iCSS via cyber-info@kent.ac.uk.
The University of Kent is a UK Government recognised Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) with Gold award status (2023-29) and an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) (2015-17, 2018-23, 2024-29), among only eight UK universities with such double recognitions. The University was also named the ‘Cyber University of the Year’ of the inaugural Real Cyber Awards 2023, due to its active profile in all areas of cyber security especially its wider impact and engagement activities. Cyber security activities of the University in all areas are coordinated by iCSS (Institute of Cyber Security for Society), a university-wide and interdisciplinary institute.
KMCSN (Kent & Medway CyberSchools Network) is a local schools network on cyber skills development co-founded in 2023 by iCSS, KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster Ltd) and The STEM Hub managed by the Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). It welcomes more local schools and teachers to join as organisational and individual members to co-develop cyber skills development activities for pupils in Kent and Medway.
The Folkestone School for Girls is an innovative and high achieving school, providing an ambitious curriculum designed to encourage students to go beyond exam results. While students at FSG have access to a full slate of academic subjects, attaining excellent qualifications, they also enjoy a broader education through our bespoke FSG Bacc programme. Our students develop “courage, kindness, friendship, character”, mountain biking with friends, reaching new heights on the climbing wall and many other opportunities to develop teamwork and resilience. The Computing department at FSG is part of this vision, taking the subject beyond the classroom. Our students participate in a variety of exciting challenges including the CanSat competition, the UK Bebras Computing Challenge and the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. We are proud to have worked with the University of Kent in delivering this year’s CyberFirst event, building on FSG’s successful first year of participation in 2023 where 45 eligible students participated in the challenge, and several went on to take part in a CyberFirst Investigators day at the University of Kent campus.
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) started in 2013 by Dr Ambareen Siraj through a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Tennessee Tech University. In less than ten short years, it has grown into an organisation representing a leading alliance between trailblazers from academia, government and industry. WiCyS UK&I Affiliate is a thriving community of female cyber security professionals in the UK and Ireland, and it welcomes both new members aspiring to join cyber security and senior leaders in the cyber security sector. Membership offers access to the Affiliate’s mailing list, exclusive LinkedIn group, regional WhatsApp groups, member meetups, and updates on activities, partnerships, and professional development programs.