b'Exploring a CyberFirst World at Birmingham City UniversityOn Tuesday 17th September, 30 Year 8and debate the pros and cons of artificial Computer Science students visited theintelligence, given that many machines Steam House at Birmingham City Universityare now programmed to think and act like to complete many different computinghumans. We also got to complete an escape challenges as part of a government initiativeroom game using some very innovative virtual called CyberFirst Day. Our class was basedreality headsets.in the Create Lab, which is a very modernThe day enabled us to explore, build and and specialist technology centre, packedtest our cyber skills in digital labs and with equipment to drive digital innovation.helped accelerate our learning of future The aim of the day was to inspire us to jointechnologies.a cyber workforce in the future and equip young people with the digital awareness andEesaa Plummer, 8 Galahadskills required to pursue a cyber career path. We were all surprised to be informed that a starting salary for a typical cyber security job can be over 45,000!We were given a very informative tour of all the technology Labs and focused on many exciting computing workshops and innovations, such as 3D printing, robotics and automation, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and escape rooms. Our CyberFirst hosts engaged us in our main team task for the day, which was to consider CyberFirst Sixth Form OUTREACH EVENTOur sixth form computer scientists were thrilled to participate in theOur sixth formers made a lasting impression, actively contributing CyberFirst Outreach Event, held at Accentures Birmingham cityto discussions and posing insightful questions about AI and centre offices. As a global leader in professional services, spanningpathways into cyber and technology careers. The event offered strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations, Accenturea deep dive into the cybersecurity landscape and an inspiring boasts an impressive annual turnover of $64.9 billion. glimpse into future career opportunities.The event brought together 60 aspiring computer scientists fromOverall, the experience was both highly informative and incredibly sixth forms across the city, fostering an atmosphere of excitement,engaging, leaving us inspired and eager to explore the rapidly innovation, and curiosity. evolving world of cyber security.The day provided an immersive introduction to cyber securityA huge thanks to Mr King, the CyberFirst team, Accenture, and all through a series of interactive activities. Students explored careerthe industry professionals who made this experience possible.pathways in cyber and technology, engaging directly with industryDaniyal Mehmood, Head Prefectprofessionals from BT, Microsoft, Accenture and keynote speakers with civil service experience. The event kicked off with a dynamic 40-minute Q&A networking session, where experts shared invaluable insights and addressed thought-provoking questions.A standout moment was the hands-on session with Sphero, a leading name in edtech programmable robots. Through games-based learning and educational STEM activities, students enhanced their STEM skills, programmed Sphero robots, and tackled engaging challenges. Another highlight was the Boardroom Battle, where we harnessed Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) to outmanoeuvre opponents by identifying global locations.39'