Developing the UK cyber security profession
Download the full outcome
Detail of outcome
The Government launched a consultation on 19 July 2018 outlining proposals to develop the cyber security profession in the UK. This included a proposal to create a new, independent UK Cyber Security Council. The consultation ran for six weeks and closed on 31 August 2018. We received 307 responses from a wide range of respondents. We are extremely grateful to everyone who engaged with the consultation.
All suggestions and comments have been carefully reviewed and analysed by the Government in the development of this response. The Government considers that the consultation showed strong support for the main thrust of the proposals: which were to define a series of objectives for the profession to achieve and to create a new, independent UK Cyber Security Council to coordinate delivery. The response identifies where the consultation has helped refine and add an extra layer of granularity to the proposals.
In view of the level of support, the Government is proceeding to identify a lead organisation to design and deliver the new UK Cyber Security Council. This Government response was therefore issued alongside an invitation to apply, via a competitive process, for between £1m - £2.5m of Government funding to lead the work.
The application period for proposals opened on 21 December 2018 and ran until 29 March 2019. This request for proposals period has now ended. The Government is considering the applications and expects to make a decision shortly, which will be communicated on GOV.UK.
Establishing a new, independent UK Cyber Security Council is a key part of the Government’s new Initial Cyber Security Skills Strategy which is being published in parallel.
Original consultation
Consultation description
Cyber security professionals in the UK are already among the best in the world, but the need to further develop the right skills, capabilities and professionalism to meet our national needs across the whole economy is increasingly important. In the National Cyber Security Strategy, published in 2016, the Government made a commitment to develop the cyber security profession in the UK. This consultation sets out bold and ambitious proposals to implement that. It includes a clear definition of objectives for the profession to achieve and proposes the creation of a new UK Cyber Security Council to coordinate delivery.
The specific aims for the consultation are to:
- Summarise the Government’s understanding of the challenges facing the development of the cyber security profession;
- Seek views on objectives for the profession to deliver by 2021 and beyond; and
- Seek views on the creation of a new UK Cyber Security Council to help deliver those objectives.
Responses received will help the Government assess the support for these proposals and inform next steps.
How to respond
The full consultation document can be viewed or downloaded from this page. Please use the online portal to respond. In each section of the portal, there is a summary of the corresponding part of the full consultation document. The consultation closes at 17:00 on 31 August 2018.
For questions on how to respond, or engaging with the consultation process, please contact csprofession@culture.gov.uk. Responses to the consultation, or questions about the substance of the proposals, should be submitted through the online portal. We will not consider correspondence sent to the inbox as a response to the consultation.
Documents
Last updated 31 January 2019 + show all updates
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The application period for proposals to create a new UK Cyber Security Council has been extended from 28 February 2019 to 29 March 2019
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The consultation has now closed. Minor text updates have been made to the page.
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First published.