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Convenience retailer Co-op has entered into a strategic partnership with UK-based social impact business The Hacking Games as it seeks to prevent future cybercrime.
Co-op and The Hacking Games aim to prevent cybercrime by identifying young cyber talent and channelling their skills into positive, ethical careers.
Last week, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested four people as part of an investigation into cyberattacks targeting M&S, Co-op, and Harrods.
The accused include two males aged 19, another, aged 17, and a 20-year-old female, according to the NCA.
Cybercrime
Globally, cybercrime is expected to cost £12 trillion this year, with 69% of European teenagers having committed some form of cybercrime or online offence.
The latest move is part of Co-op’s long-term response to a cyberattack on the business in April of this year.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, group CEO of Co-op, said, “We know first-hand what it feels like to be targeted by cybercrime. The disruption it causes, the pressure it puts on colleagues, and the impact it has on the people and communities we serve.”
The partnership will combine Co-op’s reach into every postcode area of the UK, community expertise, 38 Co-op Academy schools, and their 6.5 million member base with The Hacking Games’ knowledge and expertise in cybercrime.
The cyber threat landscape is evolving at an alarming rate, and the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals has never been greater, Co-op noted.
Already valued at £13.2 billion, the UK government has identified cybersecurity as a key frontier industry with an exceptional potential for growth.
However, tens of thousands of cybersecurity jobs in the UK remain vacant.
Around the world, this figure stands at 4.8 million, posing a significant risk to individuals, businesses, and governments.
Khoury-Haq added, “At Co-op, we can’t just stand back and hope it doesn’t happen again – to us or others. Our members expect us to find a cooperative means of tackling the cause, not just the symptom.
“Our partnership with The Hacking Games lets us reach talented young people early, guide their skills toward protection rather than harm, and open real paths into ethical work. When we expand opportunity, we reduce risk, while having a positive impact on society.”
Hackers For Good
Both partners acknowledge the need to inspire and engage Gen Z to pursue careers in cybersecurity, utilising their cyber skills for ethical purposes as hackers for good.
The Hacking Games seeks to connect the cybersecurity industry with unconventional talent by creating access to opportunity, building resilience, and supporting better choices, especially for those most at risk of exploitation.
A UK-wide study revealed that more than 50% of tech employees self-identified as neurodivergent.
Autistic people, in particular, are seven times more likely to thrive in structured problem-solving environments like cybersecurity, yet 71% of autistic adults in the UK are unemployed, Co-op noted.
Fergus Hay, co-founder and CEO of The Hacking Games, stated, “There is an incredible amount of cyber talent out there – but many young people don’t see a path into the industry, or simply don’t realise their skills can be used for good.
“This partnership with Co-op will help unlock that potential. It’s about giving people the opportunity to do something positive, showing that their talents are valued, and creating a generation of ethical hackers to make the world safer.”
Long-Term Initiative
The partnership is a long-term initiative, which will commence with an independent research study led by Professor Lusthaus of the University of Oxford, an expert on the social dimensions of cybercrime and hacking.
The findings of the study will help design future prevention strategies, including a planned pilot within Co-op Academies Trust, which supports 20,000 students across 38 schools.
In due course, the collaboration aims to develop into a large-scale national movement, activated through a wide-scale, multi-channel approach.
The project has the potential to expand to the wider UK education system, which supports earlier engagement, targeted student and parent training, and inspires future pathways into ethical cyber careers.
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