It's Gold for Gloucestershire College’s Cyber Security Degree Apprenticeship
Gloucestershire College’s Cyber Security Degree Apprenticeship in collaboration with UWE Bristol has been accredited with ‘Tech Industry Gold’.
With members including IBM, Amazon, BT, Accenture and Jaguar Land Rover, Tech Partnership Degrees is an employer-led organisation which maintains the Tech Industry Gold standard and the accreditation of digital and technical degrees and apprenticeships. The organisation aims to improve the flow of talent into the digital workforce by uniting employers and higher education providers.
Programmes accredited as Tech Industry Gold meet industry standards for quality, relevance and employer focus. They integrate the technical, business and interpersonal skills that are most valued by employers, giving graduates the best possible career prospects and allowing employers to attract and train top digital talent.
Matthew Burgess, Principal and Chief Executive of Gloucestershire College, said: “This recognition is testament to the incredible work of the cyber team here at Gloucestershire College and our colleagues at UWE Bristol. We are committed to supporting businesses by developing a strong talent pipeline of highly skilled individuals.”
Bob Higgie, Assessor at Gloucestershire College, added: “40 employers and six universities have collaborated to develop our Cyber Security Degree Apprenticeship. Achieving Tech Industry Gold is a fantastic endorsement of the programme.
“Our degree apprentices are trained and work in front line cyber companies while also achieving a full honours degree from the UWE Bristol. With no student fees, a salary, a full honours degree and years of practical experience, our degree apprenticeship is an ideal route for anyone looking for their way into the cyber security industry."
Launched by Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, Gillian Keegan, in September 2020, Gloucestershire College’s Cyber Degree Apprenticeship has been a great success among Gloucestershire’s employers. Bamboo Technology, Infrastar, Cyber Security Associates, Babcock, CDS Defence and South Gloucestershire Council were the first employers to utilise the new programme and train degree apprentices with the College.
Ian Johnson and Phil Legg, Co-directors of the UWECyber Academic Centre of Excellence, said: “Built on Tech Industry Gold and NCSC standards and accreditation requirements, this apprenticeship programme has been designed with a strong emphasis on partnership, student-centred engagement and an appropriate balance of education, training and practice-based experience.
“To be accredited as Tech Industry Gold, programmes have to meet the rigorous standards set by industry for both content and delivery. Learning is focused on real world issues, and employers are actively involved throughout."
Professor Tim Brailsford, Head of Department for Computer Science & Creative Technology at UWE Bristol, added: “This collaboration with Gloucestershire College compliments our cyber security activities in UWE very well. We have a fully NCSC accredited MSc programme as well as a successful and long-established BSc, as well as an outstanding cyber security research group. We are an NCSC Academic Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Education, and this is one of our great strengths as an institution. I have no doubt that cyber security is going to grow and become more important in the future. This degree apprenticeship fills a gap in our provision, and we are very pleased to be working with Gloucestershire College to realise this.”
