It seems all those hours spent on video games weren’t a waste of time after all.
A recent announcement by British Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that up to one hundred young gamers are being recruited by government agencies to train for jobs related to cyber security issues. It seems that 18 year old “Generation Xbox” recruits, and their gamer skills, are more valuable to the mission than their contemporaries with college degrees. The name of the program the new program is the Single Intelligence Account Apprenticeship.
Once chosen to participate, they will be placed in a two year program with curriculum in software, web and telecommunications, as well as communications, security and engineering.
Upon completion, the gamers will utilize their skills and begin work in government positions to fight internet crime and combat cyber warfare.
Hague said that most of the young people will be serving in jobs within the GCHQ, which is the electronic communications agency within the government, as well as intelligence jobs in the famous Secret Service, M15.
“It will be the young innovators of this generation who will help keep our country safe in years to come against threats which are every bit as serious as some of those confronted in the Second World War,” Hague said. “This is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and we must confront it to ensure that Britain remains a world leader in cyber security and a pre-eminent safe space for e-commerce and intellectual property online.”
Diana M. Rodriguez is a native Washingtonian who currently works as a professional writer, blogger, social media expert, commentator, editor and public affairs practitioner. Diana previously worked as an editor and senior communications analyst for the Department of Defense.
