European Cybersecurity Month 2020: Recognising Rebecca's Contribution

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This European Cyber Security Month (ECSM), we would like to highlight someone very exceptional – Cisco Networking Academy instructor Rebecca Harrop. Rebecca plays a vital role in the education of professional Network and Cyber Security personnel. As a key educator of Network and Cyber Security in the UK, her work continues to help bridge the Cyber Security skills-gap. Rebecca is a specialist in computer networking and security, and senior lecturer of cybersecurity at the University of Bedfordshire. She is also an associate lecturer in computer networking, cybersecurity micro credential consultant, and co-author with the Open University. She has trained and inspired thousands of students on their pathways to becoming IT Technicians, Network and Security Engineers and SOC Analysts. This year she celebrates her 20th year as a Cisco Networking Academy instructor. Rebecca was a long-standing manager of a Cisco Networking Academy and Cybersecurity lab at Barnet and Southgate College.

Rebecca Harrop
Photo Credit: Sonya Harrap

Throughout Rebecca’s career, she has successfully trained thousands of students in professional computing skills, many from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to pursue a career in IT. The diversity of the students she teaches is apparent – from a 59-year-old grandmother working to complete her Bachelor of Science degree to students with disabilities who learn to create LAN cables and configure networks independently. Always an advocate for teaching real-world skills that translate directly to the workplace, Rebecca was voted “Role Model of the Year” in the 2019 Women in IT Excellence Awards.

As a Cisco Networking Academy instructor, Rebecca teaches the following courses: CyberOps Associate, CCNA Security, Cybersecurity Essentials, IT Essentials, CCNA, and many more. She has taught in the classroom, online, and in a hybrid learning model, and is accredited for teaching with acknowledgements and awards by professional bodies for professional certifications.
“Even at its very worst, teaching is helping someone who is lost to take steps forward. At its best, it is running alongside them on a path of discovery, pointing out all the cool and useful stuff along the way.”
Rebecca is well-respected in the field and on occasion appears as a technical guest speaker at professional conferences to share her expertise at parliamentary groups for the national cyber strategy and CompTIA events. Prior to teaching, Rebecca completed a psychology degree at the University of St. Andrews, specializing in cognitive thinking and computing, cyber-psychology, neural networks, and artificial intelligence. She also gained a first class master’s degree, on an ESRC scholarship, in cognitive science at the University of Dundee.

Highly experienced in cybersecurity, Rebecca explains what makes it so relevant today:
“In today’s world, where every aspect of our lives involves the exchange of digital data, there is more than just a chronic lack of cybersecurity professionals – there is an absolute need for every person to be responsible for information security. Cybersecurity protects the most valuable asset we have – ourselves. If data is now the currency of our world, then everyone needs to keep a hand on their wallet, because cyber-pickpockets operate in all areas.”
Rebecca has been rated consistently as an excellent instructor in lesson observations and course feedback. Also, she has been granted an Instructor Excellence Award in recognition of her lasting contribution to the Cisco Networking Academy program. We can’t thank her enough for her passion, contribution and commitment to the field.
 
For more information on European Cybersecurity Month, please visit:

Enrol in the free courses made available by Cisco Networking Academy for the European Cybersecurity Month to learn more below:
ECSM20 - Cybersecurity Essentials


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