The Skills Gap in Cyber Security Jobs: What Universities Aren’t Teaching
Cyber security has become one of the most critical disciplines in the modern economy. From protecting financial systems and healthcare data to securing national infrastructure, cloud platforms and supply chains, cyber security professionals now sit at the frontline of digital trust. Demand for cyber security talent in the UK has surged. Job vacancies remain high, salaries continue to rise, and organisations across every sector report difficulty hiring skilled professionals. Yet despite this demand, many graduates struggle to break into cyber security roles and employers consistently report that candidates are not job-ready. The problem is not intelligence, ambition or academic effort. It is a persistent and widening skills gap between university education and real-world cyber security work. This article explores that gap in depth: what universities teach well, what they routinely miss, why the gap exists, what employers actually want, and how jobseekers can bridge the divide to build sustainable careers in cyber security.
