More than 500 students across Lancashire are now developing cutting-edge digital and cyber defence skills thanks to a Ministry of Defence–funded bursary scheme designed to strengthen
Britain’s future security workforce.
The latest intake of 285 students brings the total number supported by the Defence Digital & Cyber Bursary scheme to 500. The expansion follows an announcement in October 2025, when the MOD confirmed it would fund 500 fully supported places for college-age students across the county.
The scheme is delivered in partnership with Digital Skills for Defence (DS4D) and the Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub and forms part of the Government’s wider effort to build the next generation of cyber specialists. It directly supports priorities set out in the Strategic Defence Review, particularly the need to protect the UK against growing cyber threats.
Minister for People and Veterans, Louise Sandher-Jones MP, said:
“The Strategic Defence Review set out a clear vision for how we build the workforce our Armed Forces need to meet the threats of tomorrow. This bursary scheme is a prime example of that vision becoming reality – creating new pathways into Defence careers and ensuring we draw talent from a variety of skillsets.
By investing in 500 young people in Lancashire, we’re not just filling skills gaps; we’re building a pipeline of cyber professionals who will help deliver the SDR’s recommendations and keep Britain safe for decades to come. This is what SDR delivery looks like in practice – strategic investment that strengthens both our national security and our communities”.
Students on the scheme study A-Level and T-Level qualifications in subjects including computer science, cyber security, engineering, data science and artificial intelligence. Alongside their studies, they gain hands-on experience tackling real-world cyber challenges, attend employability workshops and explore both technical and business career routes within Defence.
Graduates of the programme are well placed to progress into early-career opportunities such as the Defence Gap Year, the Defence STEM & Undergraduate Scheme (DSUS), Cyber Direct Entry, and Defence technical graduate and apprenticeship schemes.
A key feature of the bursary is its inclusive approach, with students from non-traditional backgrounds succeeding on the programme. Organisers say this is helping to boost social mobility and improve gender balance across Defence’s digital workforce.
Claire Fry, Director Functional Integration for Defence Digital, marked the milestone at a student open day at Ewood Park, Blackburn on 21 January 2026. She said:
“Defence offers some of the most exciting and rewarding digital and cyber careers available anywhere. The bursary scheme gives young people the opportunity to develop specialist skills and explore career pathways across Defence and its partners, while they study, with real routes into roles that truly matter.
We are committed to developing the next generation of cyber and digital talent to strengthen Defence’s Digital Backbone and support delivery of key SDR recommendations. Working in Defence and particularly in digital, means contributing directly to national security while building a futureproof career”.
Early signs suggest strong take-up into defence careers, with 25 per cent of participants already applying for Defence STEM programmes. Through Armed Forces insight days and GCHQ early-careers initiatives, the bursary is intended to become part of a wider ecosystem linking local education with national cyber capability, including the National Cyber Force.
General Sir Jim Hockenhull Commander of Cyber Specialist & Operations Command, said:
“Defence offers some of the most exciting and rewarding digital and cyber careers in the country, with pathways for young people at every stage of their journey. Through the Defence Digital and Cyber Bursary Scheme, we’re supporting 500 students to develop specialist skills while they study, giving them a head start in a field that is vital to our national security. We’re committed to growing cyber talent right across the UK, including here in the North-West, and we want our workforce to represent the people we serve.
A career in Defence cyber means more than just a job – it means contributing to something that matters, protecting the country while gaining skills that will be in demand for decades to come. We’re investing in the next generation of cyber professionals, and I’d encourage anyone with an interest in cyber and digital technology to find out how they can be part of it”.
The Defence Digital & Cyber Bursary scheme supports Recommendation 16 of the Strategic Defence Review, demonstrating how targeted government investment can boost regional prosperity while strengthening the UK’s national security.