With her sights firmly set on a career in the growing industry of cyber security, Ellie Haggart knows the value of good training.

Ellie, 21, is an apprentice on one of the UK's first cyber security courses funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

She is one of nine students on the level four course which involves apprentices using the latest technology and kit at a specially designed Cyber Lab at Energus, Lillyhall, near Workington.

Ellie said: “I came into this training programme with hardly any IT knowledge because I truly believed that there is huge potential in studying a cyber security apprenticeship.

"The cyber threat will be here for generations to come and it will only grow as new technology develops, so I chose to start an apprenticeship over the degree I had been studying on.”

The NDA group has supported over 1,700 apprenticeships and currently has over 600 apprentices in employment.

Between now and 2021, the NDA aims to increase apprenticeships in the nuclear sector from 2,000 to 4,000. It will also focus on projects between civil and defence nuclear sectors.

Apprenticeships at supply chain firms will also be increased by 20 per cent, particularly at smaller companies.

Jacq Longrigg, head of skills at the NDA, said: “Apprenticeships are absolutely vital for us when it comes to making sure that we have the right skills in place to be able to complete the challenge of decommissioning our nuclear facilities.

“Apprenticeships play a key role in bridging our nation’s skills gap and play a part in our commitment to the government’s Industrial Strategy, proposed Nuclear Sector Deal and the work of the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group.”