On Saturday 2nd May and Sunday 3rd May 2026, the Institute of Cyber Security for Society (iCSS) at the University of Kent successfully delivered its first instructor-led ISC2 CC (Certified in Cybersecurity) certification training course. This is the second ISC2 certification training course iCSS delivered, after a pilot ISC2 CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification training course organised in 2025. The University of Kent organised both courses as an Academic Training Partner of ISC2, which was established in 2024. The iCSS Director Professor Shujun Li led the organisation of both courses, including identifying and onboarding ISC2-authorized instructors for the courses and liaising with ISC2 on their support.
The ISC2 CC course was held as a hybrid event, with the in-person part taking place in Lecture Theatre 2, Sibson Building on the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus and the online part on MS Teams. The course was part of iCSS’s ongoing initiative on supporting ISC2’s 1MCC programme, which aims at supporting 1 million people CC-certified to help fill the cyber security skills gap via free access to training materials and free exam tokens. The iCSS initiative is a joint effort with KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster), a local not-for-profit organisation aiming at developing the local cyber security community in Kent and Medway.
The ISC2-authorized instructor of the ISC2 CC course was Peter Hands, CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) at BMA (British Medical Association) and an ISC2 CISSP certified cyber security professional. The course was attended by 34 participants from different backgrounds, including students studying at three universities (University of Kent, University of Greenwich, and Sheffield Hallman University), local professionals who are looking at starting a cyber security career pathway recruited from the Kent local branch of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and also five schoolteachers from Ethiopia who were part of the iCSS-led ODA project “TTT-CyberEthiopia: ‘Train the trainers’ cyber education for teachers and children in Ethiopia” (see a recent new story about this project). Most students attended online, but nine of them attended in person on Day 1 and seven on Day 2.
The course was such a success that one participant passed the exam to be ISC2 CC certified just four days after the course. Other students were advised to consider revising the materials and booking their exam within a few weeks. Based on the success, iCSS has decided to run a second course in late June or early July and will start a new recruitment campaign for the second course. It is important to highlight that ISC2 as decided to end the 1MCC programme on 20 May 2026, so we urge those who are interested in getting ISC2 CC certified to register for the 1MCC programme asap to secure free access to the training materials and an exam token before the deadline.
More details about the ISC2 CC courses iCSS is organising can be found on this web page. The standard price is £150, but members of multiple collaborating organisations can access a discounted price of £100. To register for the ISC2 1MCC programme until 20 May 2026, please visit the dedicated web page iCSS set up for the programme. To purchase a seat for the second course, please use the link below:
https://store.kent.ac.uk/product-catalogue/school-of-computing/computing/isc2-cc-training-course
Professor Shujun Li said “We were very excited to be able to pilot the first ISC2 CC training course. I was impressed by how dedicated the participants were in the two days from the beginning to the end. I was particularly glad to hear that one participant had already passed the exam and started the journey into the cyber security sector. Peter did a great job by embedding a lot of real-world examples into his delivery and keeping all participants engaged throughout the two days. We wish that all participants will soon get ISC2 CC certified and start helping fill the cyber security skills gap in the UK and globally.”
Peter Hands said “It was a privilege to deliver the ISC2 CC course as part of the University of Kent’s mission to provide students and professionals with a structured pathway into cybersecurity. Programmes like the ISC2 CC and CISSP are industry-recognised stepping stones that open real doors, and it’s great to see the Kent University championing them. Hearing that one participant has already achieved certification as result of attending the course is exactly the kind of impact we hoped for, and we are confident many more will follow. I’m very much looking forward to continuing this partnership and reaching even more students in the courses ahead.”
Chris Kay, IT Manager at WB Chambers Farms Limited based in Maidstone who attended the course in person and successfully passed the ISC2 exam shortly after the course, said “I felt that the weekend was incredibly worthwhile after completing the ISC2 CC course organised by the University of Kent, delivered by ISC2-authorized instructor Peter Hands. What I learned throughout the weekend was key to passing the exam on 7 May, just four days after the course! In addition to becoming ISC2 CC certified, Peter also provided insightful help and advice about the cyber security industry in general. I cannot thank the team enough.”