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Cybersecurity: Essential Skills and Knowledge for Employees

  • Level(s) of Study: Professional / Short course
  • Course Fee:

    Free to eligible businesses.

  • Start Date(s):
  • Duration: Can be adapted to suit your business.
  • Study Mode(s): Short course
  • Campus:
  • Entry Requirements:
    More information
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Introduction:

This course is only available for company groups of 10 or more employees as part of our bespoke courses offer.

Please note: This course is delivered through the Enterprising Ashfield project, which is funded by the Government's Towns Fund. Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is pleased to offer free (fully funded) places on this course to support individuals and employees of businesses that are based in the towns of Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield.

Cybercrime is one of the biggest threats facing organisations in today’s modern, digitally connected global environment with legal, financial, and reputational implications.

Cybercriminals are focusing more and more on targeting employees within organisations through a variety of tactics designed to leverage access to personal details or other sensitive information, which could be used to launch a cyberattack.

The increasingly complex tactics being used by cybercriminals means that employees need to be up to date when it comes to cybersecurity awareness.

This course is a practical introduction to cybersecurity within businesses, from an employee focused perspective, looking at the types of attacks that they could be a victim of including: extortion, email-based scams, vishing, Smishing, Phishing, social media scams, and fake websites.

Employees will gain a clear understanding of the potential risk factors that could lead to making poor judgements when it comes to cybersecurity and gain an insight into the psychological tactics that underlie many of the current techniques being used by cybercriminals to target individuals.

This course is ideal to help organisations effectively mitigate risks and potential threats; businesses often ignore the softer, human-side of cybersecurity where employees can be seen as the missing link in a cybersecurity context.

Here's what our previous attendees said:

"This is an important course for anybody working with IT. I have to use IT for my business, and don't want to be ripped off or loose data, so I took this course to become aware of cybersecurity and it's issues. I've taken away from doing the course more information on the types of cybersecurity and issues related to these. I'm more aware of the different attacks and tactics that cyber criminals use. I enjoyed learning about the different cybersecurity risks and being quizzed on my knowledge."

"I enjoyed all the course! I chose this course to learn how to recognise and protect myself and family from cybercrime. It was very useful"

"It was a very interesting and interactive course. I enrolled to get an idea of what cybersecurity in the workplace looks like. We looked at the different types of scams, ways to protect our devices and how to work safely."

What you’ll study

What will you study?

On this course employees will look at how the behaviour of employees has been linked to lapses in cybersecurity with examples and case studies.

They'll focus on exploring the psychology behind online scams and discuss the potential techniques that can be used to mitigate these threats.

There will also be a discussion of the key types of cybercrime that could be used to leverage personally sensitive information from employees, as well as highlighting the importance of ensuring privacy and security on social media.

This course will be a combination of scenario-based exercises, lecture and group discussions.

During this course employees will:

  • understand the key terms used when describing cybercrime
  • explore the threats you can face from cybercriminals and signs to help spot an attack
  • learn how they could be vulnerable to both offline and online attacks
  • explore how giving away small amounts of information on social media can lead to potential issues
  • consider the potential factors that can influence someone to take risks that could threaten the overall cybersecurity infrastructure of an organisation.

What will employees gain?

By the end of the course, they will leave with an understanding of the key techniques cybercriminals may use to gain access to personal/sensitive data employees may have access to during their work lives.

They’ll be able to demonstrate an understanding and confidence in how you can be more effective at protecting yourselves online through effective cybersecurity hygiene processes.

How you’re taught

This course can be based at the Summit Centre in Kirkby-in-Ashfield or at your own business premises.

Contact hours

The course can be adapted to suit your business needs.

Tutor profile: Dr Lee Hadlington

Lee is a Senior Lecturer in Cyberpsychology, and a member of the Cyberpsychology research group.

He is the current co-course leader for the MSc Cyberpsychology course at Nottingham Trent University, and his current teaching focuses on Cyberpsychology, Online Risk taking, Human Factors in Cybersecurity, Cybercrime and victimisation, Psychometrics and Research Methods.

He has worked with a number of organisations including East Midlands Police, East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), Airbus UK, ThinkingSafe UK, and Defence Science and Research Laboratory (DSTL).

He has also had extensive experience of engaging with the media, including BBC Radio 4, East Midlands Today, alongside several appearances on the BBC's The One Show and ITV’s Tonight Programme, discussing the impact smartphone use can have on our everyday attention.

Tutor profile: Dr Chloe Ryding

Chloe is a Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University and a member of the Cyberpsychology Research Group.

Chloe’s main research areas are within Cyberpsychology, with her main interests being in social networking sites and mental health, and social networking and user behaviour online.

Chloe currently teaches on the MSc Cyberpsychology course at Nottingham Trent University, where she teaches on user behaviours on social networking sites, and the features of social networking that can contribute towards well-being outcomes.

Fees and funding

This course is available at no cost to people living or working in the Kirkby-in-Ashfield or Sutton-in-Ashfield areas. To check if your home or work postcode is eligible visit the Enterprising Ashfield eligibility checker form.

How to apply

Click to here apply.

If you have any questions about this course, you can email EnterprisingAshfield@ntu.ac.uk or call us at +44 (0)115 848 2813.