Cyber Security - Information Technology

Pearson (Applied General Certificate / Extended Certificate)

Please note: Students should not take more than one certificate course as part of an A Level programme.

WHY SHOULD I STUDY CYBER SECURITY?

This is a two-year modular, A Level Alternative Academic Qualification. In today’s digital world, most industries rely heavily on technology and secure information systems. A student with a Cyber Security qualification will have access to employment opportunities in a wide range of industries and, through such a diverse subject, will also gain access to a broad spectrum of career pathways, including cyber security, digital forensics, data management, network administration and system design. Cyber Security is a fast-moving and constantly evolving field which will give students the opportunity to develop up-to-date knowledge and skills linked to the very latest technology and security threats.

The two-year modular course has two examined modules and two practical modules, assessed through coursework tasks. The modules cover: Cyber Security Systems, Cyber Security and Incident Management, Secure Website Development and Relational Database Development.

Cyber Security is a versatile qualification and supports progression into a number of degree courses, apprenticeships and careers, as well as the opportunity to extend the modules studied further with the BTEC Diploma in IT or related computing pathways.

FIRST YEAR COURSE CONTENT

DIGITAL SYSTEMS: You will explore the relationships between the hardware and software that form secure digital systems, how these systems are built and data is controlled in both a physical world and using cloud services in a virtual environment. You will examine issues related to the security of data, privacy and the impact that this has on how businesses and individuals use these systems to communicate. This unit is externally assessed through a written examination set and marked externally. The examination is two hours in length.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT: If you want to be noticed in a modern technologically advanced world you will need a competitive and noticeable online presence. This unit combines research skills along with the extensive use of AI to identify what makes a high quality and visible presence online and combine these ideas to produce a feature rich web presence for a demanding audience in a specific area of interest. You will learn how to write prompts to generate code and use AI as an intelligent agent to spot programming errors and problem solve complex tasks. This unit will be assessed with a practical coursework task.

SECOND YEAR COURSE CONTENT

CYBER SECURITY AND INCIDENT MANAGEMENT: In this unit, you will examine the many types of cyber security risks, the vulnerabilities of networked systems and the techniques that can be used to defend an organisation’s networked systems. You will examine scenarios and explain appropriate protection measures to prevent malicious cyber-attacks. You will also look at the forensic methods used to investigate cyber security incidents and analyse the suitability of those methods. As digital systems continue to evolve, there is an increasing need for cyber security professionals to protect digital systems and the information they contain, while also providing enhanced features and benefits. This unit will help prepare you for Cyber Security and IT related courses in higher education.

DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: In today’s digital and AI driven world, data underpins innovation and creativity. Business relies on good quality data to predict trends, optimise costs and drive growth. You will learn how to design complex and efficient data structures, how to interrogate data and gain useful information that will ensure the efficient running of a business. You will build efficient and effective user interfaces that will allow employees to input and output useful information, ensuring that data is carefully managed through industry standard methods to avoid duplication and data corruption. This module will be assessed with a practical coursework task.

MINIMUM ENTRY CRITERIA

Standard College entry requirements (see page 16 of the prospectus) and a minimum of:

FURTHER EDUCATION

For students wishing to progress to university this qualification will provide as many UCAS points as an A Level. There are many degrees available in I.T. related subjects such as cyber security, computer science, computer games design, computer graphics, networking, I.T. support. Of course, there are also several degree subjects that students could study which include an I.T. element. Courses of this nature might include subjects such as law, business, finance, accountancy and many others.

APPRENTICESHIPS/CAREERS

Apprenticeships are becoming increasingly popular and, as well as many opportunities directly with employers, there are a growing number of agencies successfully placing students in areas of cyber security, technology, telecommunications, I.T. support, I.T. infrastructure and networks, data management, and web design. This course is very popular for students wishing to follow this route to employment as the skills taught will prove useful in many areas of I.T.

This course is likely to be replaced by the Government’s new V Level in Digital Systems and Data, which will have a broadly similar focus, although at time of writing this is still to be confirmed.