How Weston College turned cybersecurity into an employability skill

The challenge: what happens to data protection when the workplace is someone’s home?

When recruitment processes moved online during COVID, Weston College was approached by the Jobcentre to design a programme to prepare new Job Coaches for Civil Service roles. The recruitment model itself had changed. Applications were submitted online, interviews were recorded remotely, and assessments were completed digitally. Learners were expected to demonstrate competence not only in employability skills but in navigating digital platforms safely and professionally.

At the same time, many of the learners coming through Weston College’s employment services had spent years in sectors where technology was not central to daily work. Some had worked in manual trades. Others had been caring for family members. A number had been out of the labour market for long periods. Their experience was strong, but their digital confidence often was not.

How Weston College embedded the Level 1 Award in Cybersecurity into employability training

Rather than offering generic digital skills training, Weston College chose to embed our Level 1 Award in Cybersecurity into its employability pathways. The intention was to support learners to understand safe online working, data protection, professional conduct in digital environments and how to manage personal information responsibly. This was delivered alongside interview preparation, application writing, CV development and professional behaviours.

The reason was the job itself. Learners were often dealing with personal and sensitive information, both their own and that of others. Those progressing into Job Coach roles would be supporting people who were unemployed, advising on CVs, and handling personal details. Understanding what could and could not be shared, how to work safely online, and how to protect data when working from home became central to being genuinely work ready.

Delivery was shaped around short, focused courses designed to move people quickly into work or further learning. The cybersecurity content was introduced early in the programme and then reinforced through practical employability activities. When learners worked on applications, CVs or mock interviews, digital safety and professional boundaries were revisited in context. This helped learners see cybersecurity as part of everyday working practice rather than as a standalone topic.

Digital access itself was also a challenge. Some learners did not own a computer or had unreliable internet at home. Others relied on smartphones, which made completing applications and learning tasks more difficult. Staff worked with learners to address these practical barriers and to support digital inclusion as part of the wider employability offer.

The programmes are aimed at people who are considered ready to move into work, often with employers directly involved in delivery through talks, mock interviews and recruitment engagement. This helped learners understand the relevance of cybersecurity to real roles rather than seeing it as abstract learning.

The results: a model that outlasted the programme it was built for

The approach became the standing model rather than a one-off. It has since been used with existing Civil Service staff who needed to refresh their understanding of digital practice and data protection, so a programme designed to get people into Job Coach roles is now also used with people already doing the work.

We have become the awarding organisation of choice for this provision, because of the way qualifications can be combined and shaped around employer need. The flexibility allows Weston College to build programmes that reflect real job roles and recruitment processes rather than forcing learners into rigid structures.