Inspiring female identifying early secondary students to consider cybersecurity as a career

This talk will discuss the innovative Cyberpowers Industry Immersion program developed through a collaboration between RMIT University and Monash Tech School. The Cyberpowers program is delivered through Monash Tech School to Year 7-9 female identifying students. The focus of the program is to frame cybersecurity as a humanitarian profession and emphasise the social aspects of cybersecurity roles to combat existing stereotypes. The program also highlights mathematics, communication, attention to detail, teamwork, creativity, curiosity, and empathy as critical skills needed in the field. Female identifying students spent the day at Monash Tech School rotating through four different activities and finishing up with a short session on academic and career pathways in cybersecurity. RMIT academics co-developed the program and participated on the day, providing students with some female role models.

This talk will outline four cybersecurity educational activities as clear examples for how cybersecurity can be presented in an approachable and human-focused context. The talk will feature a discussion of feedback from students who participated in the program. Finally, the talk will include reflection on the co-design process and what made this collaboration successful.