More than 130 teams sign up for Northrop Grumman cyber defense competition in the UK

Northrop Grumman recently kicked off the latest season of its CyberCenturion competition, a cyber-defense competition in the U.K. for 12- to 18-year-olds, which has seen an increase in participation of nearly three times last year’s rate.

“The growth in the number and diversity of teams that have entered this year has been outstanding and indicates the increasing interest that young people have in cybersecurity,” Northrop Grumman Europe Chief Executive Andrew Tyler said. “Promoting education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is critically important for Northrop Grumman, and through CyberCenturion, we look forward to identifying and nurturing the cyber talent of the future.”

The competition is based on the American CyberPatriot competition, created by the Air Force Association and presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation. The competitions are part of the company’s efforts to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. In the U.K., the recently launched 2016-2017 season of CyberCenturion has more than 130 teams registered from across the country.

“Building tomorrow’s cyber workforce is a global imperative and we are thrilled to be spearheading this effort to address the urgent need to jump start the workforce and foster the cyber leadership of tomorrow,” Northrop Grumman Global Cyber Education and Workforce Development Programs Director Diane Miller said.