Inspiring the Next Generation of Cyber Talent

Tammy Quinn / 29 April 2025 / Categories: General

Year 8 pupils had the exciting opportunity to attend the CyberFirst Mega (Motivated, Educated Generation with Ambition) Tech Day hosted at Nelson & Colne College and funded by the National Cyber Force.

This hands-on tech experience was designed to raise aspirations and inspire young people to explore high-skilled careers in cyber security and technology. Pupils were selected for their enthusiasm and talent in computing, and they had the opportunity to engage in a range of challenges including:

• Mid Journey AI – Using generative AI to prompt and produce an engineering image,
• Sphero Bolt – Coding a robotic Sphero Bolt to navigate a track,
• Open Source Intelligence – Exploring the impact of digital footprints, and
• Virtual Reality – Touring the college campus and experiencing an immersive VR 360 room.

The day was not only fun and interactive but also filled with insight into real-world tech roles and the skills needed to succeed in them.

Mrs Ross, Careers Lead at Marsden Heights, said:

"The pupils and staff all enjoyed the day and it was positive to see the pupils getting excited about their own future career paths."

Pupil feedback highlighted the impact of the event:

“It was very nice to participate in the activities; they encouraged people in cyber careers. I really enjoyed going there.”

“I really enjoyed going to the CyberFirst trip. It taught me a lot; for example, using codes to make a robot work. I would love to go to more events like this.”