School Of Mr. Robots Will Take Codebreaking To The Next Level

Bletchley Park has plans for a new school for the next generation of codebreakers, creating a home for all future Mr. Robots to practice their craft and help keep Britain secure against digital security threats in the 21st century.

The College of National Security will open in 2018 and tuition will be free for its 500 applicants thanks to venture capital, corporate sponsorship and possible state funding. The university aims to teach cyber skills to Britain’s brightest codebreakers between the ages of 16 to 19-years-old, who will lead the charge in securing the country’s digital borders.

“The cyber threat is the real threat facing the UK, and the problem it’s causing the UK government and companies is growing exponentially,” said MacWillson, chair of Qufaro, a not-for-profit organisation created by a consortium of cybersecurity experts for the purposes of education. “There is a shortfall in terms of the professional resources to combat this right now and it will get so much worse unless there is a programme to get to grips with it,” MacWillson said, adding that a shortage of about 700,000 cybersecurity experts in Europe has meant that companies are struggling to get the right people.

Aside from teaching cybersecurity, The College of National Security will also offer courses in maths, physics and computer science.

Anyone is able to apply, but the school only has room for the best and brightest.

“It will be open to anybody providing that they can demonstrate the key talent – people who have natural ability to solve logic problems,” MacWillson said.

Bletchley Park is famous for cracking the coded messages encrypted by the Nazis during World War II, and Margaret Sale, Qufaro’s non-executive director and founding member of the Bletchley Park Trust and the National Museum of Computing, is excited to see what kind of future accomplishments are in store.

“Through initiatives such as the national college, we can effectively combine the principles of heritage, education and innovation for which everything on this site stands,” said Sale. “Previous generations are deeply proud of their contributions at Bletchley Park. I am keen to see what the next cadre will achieve.”

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Would you want to go this university?

[ H/T The Guardian ]