The UK’s main intelligence agency for dealing with cyber-threats is hoping to attract more female coders to its ranks with a new bootcamp course.
GCHQ is sponsoring one of the 14-week ‘nanodegree’ courses run by social enterprise Code First Girls, designed to appeal to women who may be considering a career change.
Jo Cavan, the director of strategy policy and engagement at the security agency, told The Guardian that teams such as those in counter-terrorism have seen performance improve since becoming more diverse.
“We have been working hard to increase that number so we have more diverse teams and better get across the threats we need to today,” she added.
“We know that if we get the right mix of minds it will give us a competitive advantage and that’s why we talk labour diversity as being mission critical.”
One key area GCHQ needs greater diversity to improve its standing is in countering threats from the east, Cavan claimed.
“If you look at China, for example, and how technology is moving east and China is looking to impose non-western values on technology,…
