The UK Government has announced an £80 million investment to help students gain the specialist skills needed to support the long-term growth and resilience of the UK defence industry.
The funding forms part of a wider £182 million Defence Industrial Strategy skills package and is designed to address persistent shortages in high-demand areas such as engineering, cyber security and advanced manufacturing, all of which are considered critical to national security.
Ministers say the investment will allow universities and colleges to expand capacity in strategically important subjects, ensuring a stronger pipeline of highly skilled talent capable of supporting major defence programmes and maintaining the UK’s technological edge.
Higher education providers across England will be able to bid for funding to create additional student places, expand facilities and develop industry-aligned courses. The Government is also working with devolved administrations to assess skills gaps and funding options across the rest of the UK.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of rising cyber threats and growing concern among defence contractors and critical infrastructure operators about the availability of skilled cyber professionals.
Andy Ward, Senior Vice President International at Absolute Security, said the scale of recent cyber incidents underlined the urgency of closing the skills gap.
“Last year the National Cyber Security Centre reported a 50 per cent rise in highly significant cyber-attacks,” Ward said. “Our own research shows almost one in five organisations suffered operational disruption lasting up to two weeks, with most facing nearly five days of downtime after an attack.
“Organisations that aren’t prepared to recover quickly face an almost existential threat. Prolonged downtime can crush a business. Cyber-attacks are no longer a question of if, but when, and true resilience is impossible without strong, well-trained security teams.”
Sawan Joshi, Group Director of Information Security at FDM Group, said the pace of attacks meant skills investment must be continuous.
“The UK is now facing four nationally significant cyber-attacks every week,” he said. “In this environment, resilience depends not just on technology, but on people. Sustained investment in developing young cyber talent is essential if organisations are to protect sensitive data and withstand increasingly sophisticated threats.”
Beyond defence readiness, the funding also supports the Prime Minister’s wider ambition for two-thirds of young people to either attend university or complete a gold-standard apprenticeship by the age of 25, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
Ministers argue that strengthening the defence skills pipeline will not only support national security, but also create high-value jobs, boost productivity and reinforce the UK’s position in strategically important industries at a time of heightened global uncertainty.
