Hallam hosts CyberFirst girls' competition finals

8th February 2023

The Yorkshire and Humberside regional finals of the National Cyber Security Centres' CyberFirst competition was held at Sheffield Hallam over the weekend.

The competition, which aims to support girls interested in a career in cyber security, was won by Heckmondwike Grammar School. 

From beginner to expert, the CyberFirst Girls Competition offers the opportunity for teams of Year 8 girls to learn something new about cyber security, aiming to inspire girls to consider pursuing careers in cyber security as female representation in the sector is too low, with women accounting for just 16% of the UK’s cyber workforce. 

The participating schools were Barnsley Academy, Castleford Academy, Heckmondwike Grammar School, Ecclesfield School, Holmfirth High School, Silverdale School, Archbishops Holgate School, Wickersley School, Beverley School, Skipton High School and The Kings Academy.  

Shahrzad Zargari, Principal lecturer and Cyber Security and Computer Networks Subject Group Lead at Sheffield Hallam, said: “Empowering girls in the field of cybersecurity not only bridges the gender gap in technology but also strengthens the future of our digital security. Universities play a crucial role in fostering this growth by providing opportunities for hands-on learning and competition, which helps to shape the next generation of female cybersecurity experts. 

“I have a keen interest in organizing events of this nature with the aim of promoting cybersecurity as an engaging and enjoyable field among young girls, with the hope of attracting more female talent to pursue careers in this industry.” 

The content for each category of the competition is consistent with subjects within the Computer Science syllabus from the National Curriculum. However, the competition contained some advanced cyber topics that sought to stretch the lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge of the teams. 

Teachers from participating schools said: “This is a great opportunity for all Y8 girls, they learn and bond as a group.” “The girls really enjoyed the first session and rushed down their lunch to get back in time. It is wonderful to see the girls enjoying and competing so enthusiastically in the competition” “What an amazing experience for our young people to be involved with Cyber and to broaden their horizons and just have fun #girslcodetoo.” 

Participating students of the event said: “This experience has been great, and it has helped with our development of communicating and teamwork #girlscodetoo.” “We loved the CyberFirst Girls competition, you guys provided us with an excellent experience.” “We learnt lots of new skills, it was a great experience.” 

The Schools and Colleges Liaison and Outreach team at Sheffield Hallam University supported the Department of Computing with the logistics of the event. The competition was overseen by the National Cyber Security Centre, with the Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster as the organisers of the SHU event along with our Computing academics.