Teaching students cyber security skills

What are the Schools Cyber Security Challenges?

Grok Academy, in partnership with industry experts, including NAB’s Group Security team, developed the Schools Cyber Security Challenges as a comprehensive set of resources to teach cyber security concepts to Australian primary and secondary school students.

Grok Academy, formerly known as the University of Sydney’s Australian Computing Academy and Grok Learning, is an Australian educational technology (ed-tech) charity with the mission to improve technical literacy.

Course design and aims

Each course in the Schools Cyber Security Challenges is designed to develop investigation, deduction, and programming skills. A variety of foundational security concepts are covered such as:

• information security
• data privacy
• cryptography
• digital forensics.

These courses help students explore careers in cyber security, and equips them with the skills to safely navigate the digital environment. The Cyber Security Challenges align with the Australian Curriculum for both Digital Technologies and ICT Capability.

Addressing an industry skill shortage

The second aim of the Schools Cyber Security Challenges is to create a new talent pipeline for the future workforce by filling a current skill shortage identified in the industry. According to Australia’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan from AustCyber, Australia will need another 16,600 cyber security specialists by 2026.

To this end, the courses contain career videos to show students what working in cyber security can look like. They also show the variety of paths people have taken to work in the industry.

NAB’s Chief Security Officer Sandro Bucchianeri says, “The Schools Cyber Security Challenges give secondary students the opportunity to experience the interesting and challenging field of cyber security at a time when we know they are starting to consider their chosen career paths. This partnership will help the cyber security industry to attract young people to what is a rewarding and growing field, where they can have a real impact on people’s lives by keeping them safe online.”

National Computer Science School program

NAB also sponsors Grok’s National Computer Science School (NCSS), opens in new window , a year-long program of activities designed for students and teachers. The NCSS includes a 10-day summer school bringing together talented students across Australia for an intensive program in computer science.

The NCSS also hosts a twice-yearly coding challenge, opens in new window  which teaches Australian students and teachers how to code.

How you can help

We’re asking students, parents, teachers, and the community to help promote the Schools Cyber Security Challenges across Australia. Talk to your local primary or secondary school to encourage them to add these resources to their curriculum. Grok Academy is free for all Australian schools, teachers, and students.

Visit Grok Academy, opens in new window to learn more about the Schools Cyber Security Challenges.