What is Cyber PATH?

Cyber PATH is a police-led, business-focused programme that aims to develop an elite cyber talent pipeline.

We do this by welcoming the brightest students from Universities throughout England and Wales to join us in a unique paid programme designed to enable students to deliver a range of services to small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

When students enter the Cyber PATH programme, they receive a comprehensive induction working with experienced cyber practitioners and police officers to gain the understanding and knowledge they require to deliver high-quality, tailored, and affordable cyber resilience services to SMEs.

The Application Process

1. Application Form
Submit your application and CV during application window

Eligibility

  • Desire a career in Cyber after University.
  • Be in full time education.
  • Have more than 11 months left in education – due to the length of the application process, vetting and then training, any less time than this will not allow you to experience the full benefits of the programme.
  • Have the right to work in the UK.
2. Interview
Successful applicants will be invited to an interview with two parts

Presentation

  • You present for between 5 and 10 mins about an area of cyber that interests you. This could be on how ransomware compromises a system, the social engineering employed by cyber criminals or how open-source intelligence has affected recent events. The choice is yours. We want to see that you are genuinely interested in cyber.

Questions

  • We will ask you some questions around your presentation and the services that you indicated that you would like to deliver so that we can gauge your current knowledge and ability levels.
3. Conditional Acceptance
If successful, you will be offered a place subject to vetting

Next Steps

  • You will be asked to go through BPSS vetting and subject to this, we will welcome you to the programme.

Ready to start your CyberPATH journey?

Click below to get started.

Apply now

What you can expect

The Cyber PATH programme will provide you with real-world paid work experience. You will receive training and mentoring from our Cyber PATH supervisors to enable you to deliver our range of cyber services specially designed for smaller organisations.

However, it’s not just about experience in cyber; we will also provide training and guidance in the ‘soft skills’ essential in business, such as presentation techniques and report writing.

Follow our Cyber PATH page on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date with the latest developments.

14,000

SME Members

200+

Students enrolled

392

Days of services delivered to SMEs

10,900

SMEs registered with CyberPATH

What the Students Say

Meet Cyber PATH Student, Chief Adofoh

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An interview with Cyber PATH student Eli Bowen

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Cyber PATH student, Sapphire Little continues on her cyber journey at Eastern CRC

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Testimonials

Taking part in the Cyber PATH program has exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect that it would be so comprehensive in what we'd be covering, nor so hands-on with practical application in supporting clients. This is shown through giving security awareness training to people who don't have such a wide knowledge of what cyber is.

Eli Bowen

Cyber PATH Student

The benefit to my education massive. While university lectures provide a solid foundation, the hands-on experiences and real-world challenges I've encountered through the Cyber PATH programme have taught me invaluable lessons that simply can't be replicated in a classroom setting. For example, working directly with clients to deliver SATs and conducting Vulnerability Assessments has sharpened my problem-solving skills, enhanced my communication abilities, and given me a deeper understanding of the practical applications of cyber security concepts.

Chief Adolfoh

Cyber PATH Student

The Cyber PATH supervisors created a comfortable environment for me to learn, with helpful insights at every stage, but also let me push myself. They were always happy to accommodate any requests I had to make sure I could balance my workload and university studies.

Dominic Jons

Cyber PATH Student

Cyber PATH is definitely an initiative that stood out to me. It felt fresh and new. I would encourage students to apply to the programme. It is an opportunity to be part of a brilliant work environment and be surrounded by people who want to invest in you – and will believe in you before you believe in yourself.

Sapphire Little

Cyber PATH Student and now Business Development Manager at the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre

Cyber PATH has been hugely beneficial to me. There is nothing quite as good as learning on-the-job and working on real-life projects. It’s the best way to learn, and it’s rewarding to see that what I do can make a difference. I love the mentoring side of things and the support I get from the Cyber PATH team; they help you a great deal, but they also encourage me to do the research and identify solutions myself. But you never feel unsupported or left on your own.

Rania Hindy

Cyber PATH Student and Member of the UK Cyber Security Council Youth Advisory Panel

At the time I joined the Cyber PATH programme, I was extremely new to Cyber, especially surrounding the more technical concepts and the only real experience I had that could be related to the job was some public speaking. Despite this, I was accepted for the position, and I can safely say the knowledge and expertise I gained was reflected in my work and degree work.

Sophie Powell

Cyber PATH Student and National Cyber Awards Cyber Student of the Year 2023

Sign up to your Regional CRC

Our services are delivered via the 9 Cyber Resilience Centres located throughout the UK.

The first step to taking advantage of the range of services provided by Cyber PATH is to sign up for membership at your nearest Cyber Resilience Centre. It's FREE to join, and it comes with many benefits that will help to make your business more cyber resilient.

Find your Regional Centre