Pre-Procurement Engagement for a TechFirst Technology Education Platform

TechFirst is the government’s flagship programme opening pathways into the UK’s fast-growing tech sector. It builds on the success of CyberFirst, expanding out to new areas of technology and growing its impact. Our ambition is to reach 1 million students in all secondary schools across the UK by 2029. CyberFirst has already reached 415,000 young people since 2016, developing relevant skills and opening eyes to the career opportunities that exist in cyber security across the economy. The programme targets young people aged 11-25. The CyberFirst programme consists of events delivered by local delivery partners, an annual competition for girls aged 12-13, summer courses, an undergraduate programme, a selection programme to choose team members to represent the UK in international cyber competitions, and the Cyber Explorers online platform. Cyber Explorers is an online platform for children aged 11-14 providing gamified cyber security content. At the end of June 2025, it had 128,893 registered learners in 3,375 schools across the UK. It is used by teachers in a variety of ways, including within Computing lessons and as engaging content for after school clubs. It is designed to support the Computing curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as the Scottish Technologies curriculum. Cyber Explorers is accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). While the objective of Cyber Explorers is to drive participation in Computer Science at age 14, with a view to encouraging decisions that support pathways towards employment in the cyber sector, the content of the programme supports other government tech objectives. Cyber Explorers helps young people understand the threats and harms that exist online and develop strategies to mitigate these risks. The content also introduces students to how AI systems are engineered. The new TechFirst programme will continue to support education aligned with career pathways into cyber security, but it is also designed