Hacker House Announces Funding from DCMS

In response to increasing international demand for its unique attacker-led cyber security training, Hacker House has been awarded £100,000 as part of the DCMS Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund. This UK government initiative is designed to help place skilled applicants into industry and is part of the UK’s National Cyber Security Strategy. The funding will be used for further development of Hacker House’s educational training and employment portal.

Since launching the Hands-on Hacking course in March 2017, the team at Hacker House have been inundated with requests for their specialist cyber skills training, from across the globe. This demand led to the creation of an interactive training portal, designed to teach practical cyber security skills to distance learners. These intensive, online training courses are aimed at companies looking to increase their in-house cyber-security knowledge, as well as individual students looking to acquire the practical cyber skills needed to break into industry.

As the security market continues to evolve in the UK, companies are put under increasing pressure to appoint new cyber talent, and to keep up with the latest threats, exploits and attacks, in order to prevent breaches and safeguard data. Not only is it expensive for employers to obtain penetration tests and security audits, it’s also expensive for employers to keep up with hiring skilled personnel. It is often difficult to find candidates with the prior experience required to fulfil certain roles or who have the ability to perform in-house assessments. So then, the question becomes, where can employers find new talent, and train the teams they currently have, to stay cyber efficient and up to date with cyber security skills?

Hacker House are launching an educational e-learning portal as a way to connect employers, with the individuals who successfully complete Hacker House’s unique brand of intensive training courses. A “marketplace of skills” is one of the wonderful outcomes of having run classroom-based and live-streamed training events. The marketplace is there already, in the form of Hacker House’s community forum – where students and alumni share ideas, and continue to develop their skills and knowledge. Employers have started to look to Hacker House to find credible skilled talent to match with prospective job roles. Very soon they will be able to find those individuals, who have opted-in to receive employer offers, and whom have successfully completed the relevant training.

Hands-on Hacking is the first of many courses from Hacker House and exists to prepare and qualify penetration testers and cyber security specialists for industry roles. Students learn through a hands-on, interactive environment to master ethical hacking skills. They are able to carry-out highly effective, technical, offensive, and active red-teaming techniques in a safe environment. Students who take Hands-on Hacking are able to demonstrate proficiency in practical cyber security challenges, and contribute the knowledge they’ve gained back to their organisation. Students and employers alike have expressed the effectiveness of this training when compared to other certified ethical hacking programmes. Many other training courses do not test any real practical skills, and exams are often contingent on memorising out-dated theory. Hacker House also helps companies increase their technical skills and proficiency when budget for expensive “high street” security courses may be stretched.

The funding awarded by the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport allows Hacker House to develop its training portal with the intention of increasing job placements into industry, and to continue driving innovation and skills development within information security. Over the coming 24 months, Hacker House will continue to develop its portal as a way to allow employers direct access to talent seeking a path into industry, as well as an e-learning solution for those looking to acquire the skills necessary to break into this sector.