BT is set to bolster its cyber security operations with the help of an additional 900 personnel. The telecoms giant currently has a 2,500 strong workforce dedicated to such tasks but sees the need to step up its operations in the face of the growing threat of cybercrime and to address consumer, business and governmental customer needs.
Mark Hughes, President of BT Security, explained the impetus behind the cyber security personnel drive, "A number of high-profile security and data breaches have dominated the headlines in recent months, and this has led to a surge in interest from both consumers and IT departments wanting to know how best they can protect themselves in the digital world." Hiring and training "the next generation of experts" will allow BT to stay at the forefront of cyber security.
Graduates will play a big part in the personnel intake. BT says that it expects to take on and train 170 such scholarly achievers over the next 12 months. Graduates and apprentices will begin by training at BT's Security Academy in areas such as physical security, penetration testing, threat intelligence, risk management, security operations and sales. Once trained up they will move to positions in a range of cyber security and related support services roles.
As you might expect, BT will do the majority of its hiring in and for the UK but will also be looking to hire cyber security personnel in Continental Europe, the Americas, the Middle-East and Asia-Pacific.
For those interested in applying for these positions there are a number of avenues you can explore. First of all BT is visiting leading universities, secondly BT will take part in a number of hackathon-style 'war-game' competitions such as the Cyber Security Challenge UK and the international Cambridge 2 Cambridge cyber security challenge, and lastly, BT is hosting a Security Cyber Apprentice Open Day in central London (Saturday, 23rd April) – if you are 16 to 19 years old you can apply to go to that event by filling in this online form.
