Growing cyber talent for national security

Summary:

Partner: Ministry of Defence (MoD) – Defence School of Communications Information Systems (DSCIS)
Sector: Public sector, defence and national security
Challenges: Developing cybersecurity and networking capabilities in a highly competitive talent market, building instructor capacity, and ensuring personnel gain transferable, industry-recognised qualifications.
Solution: Flexible postgraduate computing programmes delivered through The Open University (OU), aligned with Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad) certifications and DSCIS training requirements.
Outcome: Increased in-house cyber and networking expertise, enhanced instructor capability, recognised professional accreditation, and clear progression pathways from technical specialist to educator and postgraduate study.

Background: Building digital capability for national security

The Open University (OU) has supported Ministry of Defence (MoD) personnel for many years, providing flexible education opportunities for serving and former members of the armed forces.

For more than 20 years, the OU’s School of Computing and Communications has worked with Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad), embedding globally recognised networking and cybersecurity qualifications into its academic programmes. This long-standing partnership helps equip learners with the practical digital skills needed in an increasingly connected and security-conscious world.

In recent years, the OU has also aligned programmes with the Defence School of Communications Information Systems (DSCIS), enabling the MoD to develop critical networking and cybersecurity expertise internally while creating future instructors who can pass those skills on to others.

In 2020, the OU introduced a redesigned suite of postgraduate computing qualifications, including advanced networking and cybersecurity modules. These programmes quickly proved popular with DSCIS personnel seeking to enhance their technical capabilities and gain recognised qualifications.

People working in the armed forces can enrol, get the postgraduate certificate and get the industry accreditation and recognition. Our courses are very applied – not just theoretical – which makes them very applicable to job roles.
Andrew Smith
Senior Lecturer in Networking, The Open University School of Computing and Communications

Learning to teach: Developing the next generation of instructors

A key benefit of the partnership is its ability to support both technical specialists and those looking to become educators.

Alongside gaining advanced cybersecurity and networking skills, many learners have progressed into teaching roles, earning the qualifications needed to instruct colleagues within their specialist disciplines.

Andrew Smith describes this as a "double win"—building technical capability while simultaneously increasing teaching capacity within the organisation.

According to Andy Horsley, Higher Specialist Instructional Officer at DSCIS, the OU programmes complement the instructor accreditation already provided through Cisco NetAcad.

We have been able to use it to train our instructors up to a level where they could teach this stuff, with the added benefit that if they wanted to pursue a full Master’s degree, they could add modules on to it.
Andy Horsley
Higher Specialist Instructional Officer, Ministry of Defence, Defence School of Communications Information Systems

Industry-recognised learning: Skills that last beyond military service

For armed forces personnel, recognised qualifications are essential. They validate expertise developed during service and ensure skills remain transferable throughout future careers.

The OU-MoD partnership combines academic learning with professional accreditation, providing learners with qualifications that are respected both inside and outside the military.

Service personnel with sufficient length of service can use Enhanced Learning Credits to support their studies, with many choosing networking and cybersecurity pathways that align with Cisco certifications.

The real benefit is the marriage between what we do and that academic professional accreditation journey so that when they leave the armed forces, then can take what they’re already doing and be able to do it outside. It’s that lifelong learning journey.
Andrew Smith
Senior Lecturer in Networking, The Open University School of Computing and Communications

The approach also helps the MoD address skills shortages by growing talent internally rather than relying solely on external recruitment.

It would be very expensive for the MoD to hire people with the requisite skills in disciplines such as networking and cybersecurity, so it is vital that the skills are developed in-house instead.
Andy Horsley
Higher Specialist Instructional Officer, Ministry of Defence, Defence School of Communications Information Systems

Employee success story: From learner to academic lead

Andy Horsley began his Cisco learning journey eight years ago before progressing through OU study and postgraduate qualifications.

Recognising a passion for teaching, he used the programme to gain the knowledge, accreditation and teaching credentials needed to support others across the MoD.

Today, he serves as the academic lead within DSCIS and credits the programme with helping open new career opportunities.

It gave me that teaching qualification, which has opened doors for me within my career – I’m the academic lead now and it gave me the opportunity to take that role on.
Andy Horsley
Higher Specialist Instructional Officer, Ministry of Defence, Defence School of Communications Information Systems

He highlights the practical nature of the modules, which enabled him to immediately apply new learning within his role and reinforce knowledge through real-world experience.

Conclusion: Closing the cyber skills gap through flexible learning

Each year, hundreds of serving and former MoD personnel choose to study with The Open University, using flexible learning to develop in-demand technical capabilities alongside their professional responsibilities.

The partnership between the OU, DSCIS and Cisco NetAcad demonstrates how organisations can build critical digital skills from within, develop future instructors, and create recognised progression pathways that benefit both the employer and the learner.

As cybersecurity and networking continue to play an increasingly important role in national security, investing in internal talent development helps ensure the armed forces have access to the expertise they need today and in the future.

Explore The Open University's digital skills and cybersecurity learning pathways.

The relationship between DSCIS and the OU has progressed with the university invited to be part of an industry advisory panel for DSCIS and be part of a pan-NATO working group with Cisco as we grow our role in providing the digital skills needed in today’s world.
Andrew Smith
Senior Lecturer in Networking, The Open University School of Computing and Communications

For more information, read the full in-depth case study here

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