LONDON, Nov. 15, 2016 (GLOBE
NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has launched
the 2016-2017 season of CyberCenturion, the U.K.'s national youth
cyber defence competition for 12-18 year olds. More than 130 teams
from across the country registered to participate in the
competition, marking a nearly threefold increase from last
year.
This is the third consecutive year the
CyberCenturion competition has been held.
CyberCenturion is the U.K. version of the proven
CyberPatriot competition, part of a major U.S. national youth cyber
education programme presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation
and created by the Air Force Association. It is a key element of
the company's commitment to promoting science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The formal kickoff of
the first round of both the CyberCenturion and CyberPatriot
competitions were held on Friday, Nov. 11 at Air Force Association
headquarters in Washington D.C.
"The growth in the number and diversity of teams
that have entered this year has been outstanding and indicates the
increasing interest that young people have in cyber security," said
Andrew Tyler, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Europe. "Promoting
education in STEM is critically important for Northrop Grumman and
through CyberCenturion, we look forward to identifying and
nurturing the cyber talent of the future."
CyberCenturion, delivered in partnership with
Cyber Security Challenge U.K., is aimed at engaging talented young
people with an interest in cyber to encourage them to pursue
academic and career opportunities in cyber security and help close
the skills gap.
"Building tomorrow's cyber workforce is a global
imperative and we are thrilled to be spearheading this effort to
address the urgent need to jumpstart the workforce and foster the
cyber leadership of tomorrow," said Diane Miller, director, global
cyber education and workforce development programmes, Northrop
Grumman.
The Air Force Association is a non-profit,
independent, professional military and aerospace education
association. Their mission is to promote a dominant United States
Air Force and a strong national defence, and to honour Airmen and
their Air Force Heritage.
Cyber Security Challenge U.K. is a nationwide
programme aimed at bringing more talented people into the cyber
security profession and build a bigger U.K. cyber talent pool to
help address the skills shortage that affects government bodies,
businesses and citizens alike. To find out more about
CyberCenturion go to: https://cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk/
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security
company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in
autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and
modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
Contact:
Ken Beedle
+44 (0) 207 747 1910 (office)
+44 (0) 7787 174092 (mobile)
ken.beedle@euro.ngc.com