Be@CyberPro – A videogame for fostering cybersecurity careers in schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Be@CyberPro – A videogame for fostering cybersecurity careers in schools

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

Last year, in the 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study (Center for Cyber safety and Education, 2017) a survey was carried out with 4,001 young people from the UK, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Israel and the Netherlands. Among the results of that study, a 1.8 million information security worker shortage by 2022 was forecasted. On the other hand, nearly 90% of the global workforce is male. According to the results of the aforementioned study among the reasons why there are a lack of women in cybersecurity careers are that there are no female cybersecurity role models for girls to follow, and the cybersecurity stereotype is not what they want to be in the future. In fact, according to Janice Richardson, Senior Advisor of European Schoolnet: “Most young people (69%) haven’t met anyone who works in cybersecurity at all and even fewer (11%) have met a woman working in cybersecurity. But when they have, their opinion of the role skyrockets, with 63% of women thinking more positively about cybersecurity after meeting someone who works in the sector.” But there is a wide variety of different positions in cybersecurity industry: from security architects building a company’s security system, to Digital Forensics analysts and researchers analysing data and evaluating its relevance to a case under investigation, or Chief Security Officers (CISO) in charge of aligning security with business objectives. Industry is calling for women within the cybersecurity industry to step up to give more realistic role models for girls. IT security sector is characterized for a need of continuous innovation which requires creativity, flexibility, and out-of-the-box thinking, which may be stimulated by diversity (Mannix & Neale, 2005). The low proportion of women in the field represents for the industry a lost opportunity.

According to Janice Richardson, Senior Advisor of European Schoolnet, “schools and families hold the keys, since career choices are both contextual and cultural, efforts to influence them need to be made at a much earlier age. Any steps taken by employers and universities alone, will have minimal impact”(Kaspersky Lab, 2017). Schools have a big role to play in the mission to become cybersecurity attractive as a career path. And families play an important role too, and need to be informed not only about cybersecurity paths, but too about the talent shortage in the field which is expected to increase, and about the competitive salaries in the area. The low proportion of women in the field represents a lost opportunity to harness the perspectives and experiences of women in developing new solutions and approaches.

The aim of this project is addressing the gender gap cybersecurity industry is facing by pairing with private sector firms and academic institutions and working with schools to foster cyber security careers and address the gender gap.

Better information about cybersecurity careers could positively impact more young people choosing this path, and female models can motivate girls in cybersecurity education by: (1) the development of problem-solving skills by means of cybersecurity challenges; (2) using a cyber environment that combines problem- game-, and virtual reality learning methods; (3) based on female positive roles in cyber security careers; (4) giving useful information to schools about cybersecurity industry so they can inform students and their families.

Resources and outcomes of the project will remain accessible at the Be@CyberPro Website: https://www.beacyberpro.eu/.
Some relevant outputs of the projects are:
• Educational platform on cybersecurity: A platform of open educational resources (OER) for training and awareness-raising for students and teachers, as well as an awareness-raising strategy and resources for families.
• Be@CyberPro Videogame: An immersive multi-language experience to explore various cybersecurity professional profiles and challenges
• The E-Books: One of them with didactical and methodological guidelines for teachers and families including best practices and associated educational material to use the Be@CyberPro videogame in the classroom. Another one is for inspiring young girls to learn more about cybersecurity and cybersecurity professions through role models. The consortium partners have already conducted interviews with amazing women from Ireland, Spain, Hungary, and Bulgaria working in cybersecurity, which are featured in the eBook as well!

Universidad Europea de Madrid (Spain) has coordinated this project, along with all the participating partners: PROMPT-H (Hungary), Irish Computer Society (Ireland), European Software Institute – Center Eastern Europe (Bulgaria), Számalk-Salesian Post-Secondary Technical School (Hungary), 125th Secondary Comprehensive School “Boyan Penev” (Bulgaria), Munster Technological University (Ireland), Colegio JOYFE (Spain), and Universidad de Alcalá (Spain).

Project Website

https://www.beacyberpro.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 221600 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSIDAD EUROPEA DE MADRID, SAU & Country: ES

Project Partners

• 125th Secondary Comprehensive School with intensive language learning “Boyan Penev”
• ICS Skills
• FONDATSIYA EVROPREYSKI SOFTUEREN INSTITUT – TSENTAR IZTOCHNA EVROPA
• PROMPT-H Számítástechnikai Oktatási, Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft.
• UNIVERSIDAD DE ALCALA
• COLEGIO JOYFE
• CORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY