Digital Diversity in the North West – A once in a generation opportunity

The second annual joint report by the National Cyber Security Centre ‘Decrypting diversity: Diversity and inclusion in cyber security’ – carried out in 2021 – revealed that the UK cyber security industry has a higher than average LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent representation, as well as of people with a disability. However, 25% of respondents within the report said they’ve experienced a career barrier relating to diversity and inclusion. The workforce is also disproportionately male and based in London and the South West. There is clearly more work to be done to ensure the industry is truly inclusive and increased collaboration will be required to bridge the gap.

During the discussion, we delved into topics such as: what we mean by diversity; the advantages of diversity in the national security space; lessons learned from past efforts; and the role of industry, academia and government in encouraging change. We also looked to the North West as a cyber-corridor focused on developing national security talent, and which currently has the opportunity to set the pace for change.

Bringing diversity challenges into focus

In an age when most industries are eagerly working to ensure their workforces reflect the communities they serve, the Digital Diversity roundtable was as timely as it was necessary. “I co-hosted the event with an anticipation that most of the points that would be raised would be familiar to me, but walked away from the discussion realising how little I knew about the opportunities, challenges and setbacks that exist in the cyber sector” – Richard Kerbaj. 

The shortcomings are not the cause of one issue, or a lack of enthusiasm from the tech community - employers, recruiters, academics and industry experts. Some of the challenges discussed at the roundtable included the delays associated with developed vetting; the distrust of government agencies within some of the very communities that such agencies are attempting to reach; and the resistance by cyber organisations to attribute their investment in the sector to their own brands.

There also seems to be a mismatch between the commitment that tech leaders have in their pursuit of a more diverse workforce and their limited understanding of some underrepresented and poor communities. Many around the table agreed that such communities are not “poor by choice, but by circumstance” and that their underrepresentation in the cyber field is largely because “they don’t know how to access this area”.

The notion that “you can’t be what you can’t see” goes some way to explaining the importance of role models in an industry that is predominantly made up of white men. Will the recent appointment of a woman chief of GCHQ – a first in the agency’s 100+-year history – make a difference? While it was agreed that that was a step in the right direction, the challenges of diversity within the cyber world are still some way from being overcome.

Driving positive change

Such challenges could be helped by more investment in the North West, a better working relationship between industry leaders and the Department of Education – turning the concept of “culture fit” into “culture-add” – and creating better partnerships between academia, the mainstream commercial sector and the cyber world.

Chelsea Slater, Co-Founder and Director of Innovate Her, suggested that in order to capture children’s attention and interest in skills subjects, simply talking about jobs in data analysis, for example, isn’t enough. They need to see in it action with a topic they can relate to. For instance, “Liverpool FC employs 400 technical people behind the scenes, but hardly anyone knows that,” she says. “Why aren’t we making it relevant? We need to link the things that children find interesting with technology and security.”

Some of the key takeaways that came out of the roundtable:

One thing everyone agreed on is that we have a once in a lifetime opportunity in the North West to make a difference and bring a strong and diverse pipeline of individuals into cyber and technology roles. It will take determination and perseverance, so we must keep this conversation going and work together to ensure that we capture the next generation of talent.

We’d also like to take a moment to thank those who joined us from a cross-section of academia, government and industry, and shared their unique insights and thoughts on the topic. To read more about why the key to cybersecurity success lies in diversity and further insights from the discussion can be seen in The Times.

You can learn more about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion here at BAE Systems Digital intelligence and discover our three-pillared approach to creating an inclusive workplace: hiring people from all walks of life; promoting health and wellbeing; and engaging with new ideas as part of our culture. You can also check out all of our inclusive groups run by employees for employees.

If you would like to be part of our friendly, collaborative culture, where everyone has the opportunity to make their mark, take a look at our Careers pages and explore the roles we’re currently recruiting for.