Develop professional cybersecurity capability across networks, vulnerability management, cloud security, risk frameworks, SIEM, DevSecOps, incident response and threat hunting.
Connect technical defence with incident response and governance. This 22-week intermediate programme develops security operations, vulnerability management and structured remediation reporting.
What you will develop
- Develop networking and firewall knowledge, including introductory Cisco and Palo Alto concepts.
- Explore vulnerability management and authorised penetration testing with Burp Suite and Nessus.
- Connect AWS, Azure and Google Cloud security concepts with ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST risk frameworks.
- Investigate security operations and SIEM using Splunk, QRadar and Microsoft Sentinel; practise incident response and threat hunting.
- Integrate governance, regulatory awareness, Agile project delivery, secure application development and DevSecOps.
Practical work
Conduct a simulated penetration test in an authorised lab and produce a remediation report. Present findings, evidence, priorities and recommended controls to technical and business audiences.
Career directions
Explore cybersecurity analysis, security operations, GRC and vulnerability-management roles. Cloud security, forensics, penetration testing and DevSecOps require additional evidence in the relevant specialism.
UK salary and contract-rate guide
Evidence reviewed: 6 October 2026. Named-role examples provide context for career progression.
Annual figures are gross permanent starting-salary projections at the 25th to 75th percentiles in Robert Half’s 2026 UK national guide. Contract figures are UK advertised daily rates at the 25th to 75th percentiles in IT Jobs Watch. Employment types and datasets differ; annual and daily figures are not directly comparable pay packages. Contractor income depends on billable days, engagement terms, tax treatment including IR35, expenses and gaps between assignments.
Information Security Analyst and related Security Analyst contracts
Permanent Information Security Analyst salary: £42,250 to £56,000 a year. Related Security Analyst contract rate: £422 to £600 a day.
Permanent salary source: Information Security Analyst; Contract-rate source: Security Analyst
The contractor sample contains 168 daily rates over six months to 1 October 2026. The titles and datasets differ; these are related-role benchmarks, not a matched salary package or a junior/Tier 2-only range.
Salary and contract-rate figures are indicative UK market ranges based on publicly available evidence reviewed at the stated date. Actual earnings vary according to experience, location, employer, sector, qualifications, responsibilities and employment type. Course completion does not guarantee employment, promotion or a particular level of earnings.
Mentoring and career support
Mentoring connects technical learning with practical development and professional evidence. Your programme includes six months of job-search support and three months of in-role support. Discuss the arrangements and starting dates with our team, including CV, LinkedIn and interview preparation. Employment is not guaranteed.
Certification and assessment information
Discuss preparation towards CompTIA CySA+, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate. CEH has an official-training or approved experience-based eligibility route; RDE attendance alone should not be assumed to satisfy the official-training route. For ISO/IEC 27001 learning, agree the awarding body and level: introductory study is not itself a Lead Implementer qualification.
Check the CompTIA-issued CySA+ credential; Check official CEH eligibility and examination details; Check Microsoft Security Operations Analyst certification
Confirm the exact examination version, preparation coverage, eligibility, examination access, additional costs and renewal arrangements before enrolment. RDE completion and vendor certification are distinct. Course completion does not guarantee an examination pass or satisfy professional experience requirements.
Your next step
Register your interest to discuss your experience, starting point, current delivery arrangements, tools and software access, assessment, certification options, fees and any available funding. Confirm the current intake and support arrangements before making a commitment.
Specialist cybersecurity salary benchmarks
UK job-advert benchmarks checked on 7 October 2026. The ranges below are the 25th to 75th percentiles, covering the middle half of quoted figures in the source sample across experience levels. They are not minimum-to-maximum pay bands, junior-only salaries or guaranteed learner outcomes.
Permanent employment: annual salaryRoleUK annual rangeQuoted salariesSecurity Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst£41,875 to £65,000115Penetration Tester£50,000 to £80,000129 Contract work: quoted daily rateRoleUK daily rangeQuoted daily ratesSOC Analyst£463 to £625 per day104Penetration Tester£638 to £712 per day24Source: IT Jobs Watch, UK advertisements in the six months to 7 October 2026. The penetration-testing contract sample is smaller and should be interpreted cautiously. Contract rates are not annual salaries or take-home income; paid days, expenses and tax arrangements vary. Experience, location, clearance and employer requirements affect opportunities and pay.
SOC Analyst permanent salary source
SOC Analyst contract-rate source
Penetration Tester permanent salary source
Penetration Tester contract-rate source
Further specialist career benchmarks
UK market evidence checked on 7 October 2026. These are career progression examples across experience levels, not starting salaries promised by this programme. Architect and leadership roles normally require substantial relevant experience.
IT Jobs Watch ranges below are the 25th to 75th percentiles of quoted figures, covering the middle half of the sample. They are not minimum-to-maximum pay bands. Each dataset covers six months ending on the date shown.
Permanent annual salaryRoleUK rangeQuoted figuresPeriod endingCloud Security Engineer£65,000 to £87,500 per year975 October 2026Contract daily rateRoleUK rangeQuoted figuresPeriod endingCloud Security Engineer£475 to £618 per day505 October 2026Small samples, particularly Data Governance Analyst contract rates (15 quotes) and Software Architect contract rates (18 quotes), warrant caution. Actual earnings depend on experience, location, employer, sector, responsibilities and employment type. Contract rates are not take-home pay or annual salaries; paid days, expenses and tax arrangements vary. Completing this programme does not guarantee employment, promotion, contract work or income.