What made you choose a cyber apprenticeship as a career route?

One of the topics I really engaged at school was computer science. However, I wasn't particularly set on a specific area that I wanted to study. A cyber engineering apprenticeship appealed to me as it allowed me to explore various areas within a business environment.

When I was looking online for options after completing my A-levels, Leonardo kept appearing as a popular apprenticeship provider. I noticed that they were open to people with limited backgrounds in cyber but a genuine interest in the topic. This welcoming attitude from Leonardo really appealed to me.

What is your day-to-day role like?

A lot of learning, mostly!

As part of Leonardo’s apprenticeship programme, you move regularly on a variety of placements.

On my current placement, I've been given multiple tasks related to exploratory data analysis. This involves completing online courses, working on personal projects at home, and discussing topics with experts in the field within Leonardo. We're also given plenty of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. I also have to complete a significant amount of independent research in my role.

Now that I've moved into my second year, I have more regular meetings with my apprenticeship manager. We discuss the next steps in my apprenticeship, the path I want to follow, and any areas I've found particularly interesting. We then explore how I can navigate myself into those areas later in my career.

What are the interesting projects you’ve worked on so far?

I've worked on several projects, each providing insights into a different area of the business. On my first placement, I worked with a cyber-range product, which gave me a glimpse into how demos are presented to potential customers and all the work that’s involved in setting one up.

Currently, I'm working on the security implications of the UK’s Future Combat Air System capability as part of the Team Tempest data team. I feel like I've been able to apply my learning best in this project compared to others, as I can see what I'm learning being put into practice. My manager has ensured I'm engaged and involved in all aspects of the project.

I've been trusted a lot more in my second year by the business and my manager. I've been given more responsibility on placements, being tasked with creating crucial elements of future demos. A recent example of this was when I created a virtual email server to be used by the business during demos. There have also been new responsibilities in the office, such as helping with inductions of new apprentices.

A lot of what I've learned has been through undertaking projects at home as well as at work. One of these projects was creating a media server on my home network to stream to the downstairs TV.

What has been the best thing about your cyber apprenticeship?

Having the opportunity to work with experts in the field. It's allowed me to ask questions freely and inspired me to go off and do my own research. Additionally, the variety of projects has allowed me to develop a wide range of communication and technical skills.

I've particularly enjoyed working on AWX as it gave me the opportunity to learn a new coding language (ansible) and apply it to a project. I was able to put this to use at home as well, automating some processes on my home computer using the language.

What has been your biggest achievement at Leonardo so far?

My biggest achievement so far has been passing the first year of my apprenticeship and participating in a demonstration of a product to a customer. I acted as a student in a demo and talked through what I was doing in front of a potential customer. I view this as a significant achievement as it's very nerve-racking to speak and participate so heavily in an important meeting. I believe I did very well and received praise from my manager on the project. The demo showcased the functionality and features of a cyber-range, which could be used to train employees.

During the second year of my apprenticeship at Leonardo, I have taken part in a STEM event, which was a great experience and opportunity to represent the company. We did an interactive activity with students from local schools where they were tasked with investigating a physical cybercrime scene. This was to start sparking conversations about how our physical security can affect cyber security and lead into more technical conversations.

Would you recommend a cyber-based apprenticeship to people looking to take the first step in their cyber career?

An apprenticeship is an excellent opportunity to develop academic skills in a practical environment and retain those skills, since you apply them every day. The guarantee of a job and a wage are just a bonus on top.

The cyber sector is a massive industry and is only expected to grow in the coming years as everything becomes more digital. Therefore, the demand in protection will increase.