Educating Australia’s youth on cyber security, one phase at a time
When we launched Phase One of the Schools Cyber Security Challenges back in 2019, our first task seemed insurmountable. We had to introduce cyber security to school students and teachers across Australia, engage them with the various educational resources and hands-on challenges we prepared, and inspire a few to consider a future career in cyber security.
The reception, however, was jaw-dropping: over 160,000 students and educators participated in the initiative, which was 500 per cent higher than our initial goal. To better gauge the impact of this initiative on perceptions towards cyber security, we surveyed both participating students and teachers, quizzing them on their thoughts about this pioneering program.
Here’s what we discovered:
Students are considering the cyber security career path
When asked if the challenges they undertook ignited an interest in cyber security careers, over 34 per cent of students responded positively. Probing deeper, over 22 per cent are already considering a career in cybersecurity — excellent news for Australia’s booming cyber security sector which will require over 18,000 professionals by 2026.
In the same vein, over 61 per cent of teachers agreed that the resources we provided sparked interest among students towards cyber security. Eighty one81 per cent said the resources provided insights into the role of cyber security today, while 35 per cent strongly agreed that the resources were designed and pitched in a way that was relevant to students, which aligns with Grok Academy’s vision and goals to improve computer education. It was also encouraging to see that over 90 per cent of teachers found the resources helpful in delivering the Digital Technologies curriculum.
Cyber security awareness is growing among students
One wouldn’t expect students — and to an extent, teachers — to possess a strong awareness of cyber security. Upon completing the activities in this initiative, however, over 77 per cent of students obtained a better understanding of what their personal cyber security risks are, while 65 per cent of students learned the importance of cyber security in our modern day-to-day lives.
This speaks volumes about the project’s efficacy, as Grok Academy and our collective industry strives to educate our youth and prepare them for future challenges. The initiative also comes at a time when cyber attackers have intensified efforts to exploit children and young adults as secondary vectors of attack on today’s secure systems and data environments.
Educators welcome higher-quality educational resources
Besides positive engagement from the student body, teachers were also open to sharing resources and practical exercises on to other educators, parents and peers. The challenges are designed by teachers and computer scientists in collaboration to engage students in inspiring and fun ways. A testament to the easy-to-apply and engaging content, over 92 per cent stated that they would recommend the course and recommend handing on Grok Academy resources to their peers, while 82 per cent thought the resources were designed to take the right amount of time in the classroom.
What does the future hold?
Phase Two of our Schools Cyber Security Challenges — now officially called Cyber STEPs (Secondary to Tertiary Partnership) — is a $3,777,795 national program that aims to bridge this gap by providing advanced cyber security courses to years 7 to 12 students. The course is also available for us by TAFEs, other RTOs, and universities, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Australia.
As we wrap up Phase One of this initiative with an evaluation of these results, our team at Grok Academy is excited with what the future brings for the Cyber STEPs program. The launch of Phase Two will begin with the Cyber Live Challenge, which will see thousands of Australian students taking part in a staged, yet realistic cyber-attack on a navy vessel and its personnel.
Click here to learn more about the Cyber Live challenge, the ambitious goals of Phase Two of the Cyber STEPs program, and how your school or institution can participate.
