Cyber security college to open at Britain’s Bletchley Park

Britain’s next generation of cyber security experts will be taught at Bletchley Park, where Nazi codes were cracked during World War II, the head of the new college announced on Thursday.

The mansion house is celebrated as the site where codebreakers cracked the Nazis’ Enigma cipher machine, credited by some historians with cutting World War II short by two years.

Head of the UK’s first college of cyber security — QUFARO@Bletchley Park — said it would pick “the most talented and skilled students” and aim to unify Britain’s complex and disconnected cyber education.

“For those interested in forging a career in cyber, the current pathway is filled with excellent but disparate initiatives — each playing a vital role without offering a truly unified ecosystem of learning and support,” Alastair MacWilson said.

“By connecting what already exists and filling the gaps, QUFARO will make it easier for budding professionals to grow their cyber security skills at every stage of their journey, and contribute more to the sector as a result,” he added.

The achievements of Alan Turing and fellow mathematicians at Bletchley Park in central England were not acknowledged until 2000, when the top secret work achieved there was declassified.

The codebreakers’ story was turned into an Oscar-winning film in 2014, “The Imitation Game”, in which Turing was played by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

The new college will target 16- to 19-year-olds with cyber security courses which will include lessons in computer science, maths and physics.

Those behind the new centre include experts from the National Museum of Computing and BT Security.

The institute is due to open in 2018, following the completion of a £5 million ($6.2 million, 5.9 million euros) restoration of Bletchley Park.

Despite Turing’s role in securing victory over the Nazis, Turing was prosecuted by the authorities in 1952 for “gross indecency” with another man and was forced to undergo chemical castration.

He was found dead by cyanide poisoning on June 7, 1954, 16 days before his 42nd birthday.

It was not until 2009 when Britain’s then prime minister, Gordon Brown, formally apologised for the “horrifying” treatment Turing suffered: “We’re sorry, you deserved so much better,” he said.