Check Point Software has named UCEN Manchester an official SecureAcademy partner, extending the cybersecurity vendor’s growing footprint in UK higher education and giving students direct access to industry-validated curriculum, hands-on lab environments, and professional certification routes.
The partnership, announced on 8 June, positions UCEN Manchester’s School of Computing and Cybersecurity within Check Point’s global academic network, a programme that now reaches institutions across multiple continents and is designed specifically to address the persistent shortfall of qualified security professionals entering the workforce.
The timing is deliberate. Demand for cybersecurity talent continues to outstrip supply in the UK, and organisations of all sizes are grappling with increasingly sophisticated, AI-driven attack campaigns. Academic partnerships that align course content with real-world defensive techniques are seen as a key lever in closing that gap.
“The UK faces a very real and growing cybersecurity skills shortage, and closing that gap requires sustained, meaningful collaboration between industry and education. Partnerships like this one with UCEN Manchester are exactly how we do that, by embedding world-class, vendor-validated curriculum directly into the programmes that future security professionals are studying today, reflecting how cyber attacks are prevented in real-world environments. “What makes UCEN Manchester a compelling partner is its clear commitment to equipping students not just with theoretical knowledge, but with the practical, multi-vendor fluency that public and private sector employers are actively looking for, as they seek professionals who can operate across complex, hybrid security environments. We look forward to seeing the next generation of cybersecurity talent come through this programme,” said Graeme Stewart, Head of Public Sector, Check Point
Under the agreement, UCEN Manchester students enrolled in computing and cybersecurity programmes will gain access to Check Point’s advanced security architecture curriculum spanning cloud, network, and endpoint domains. They will also have exposure to AI-powered threat intelligence drawn from Check Point’s global research operations, a component the company says helps students understand how modern attack campaigns evolve and how defenders can get ahead of them.
What students get
The SecureAcademy designation unlocks specialised curriculum content, clearly defined professional certification pathways, and direct exposure to the enterprise-level platforms used by some of the world’s largest organisations. A key emphasis of the programme is multi-vendor fluency, the ability to navigate complex, heterogeneous security ecosystems, which employers increasingly cite as a differentiator when recruiting.
SecureAcademy partners also benefit from a grant initiative providing up to $60,000 in annual content and services, intended to remove cost barriers for institutions building or scaling cybersecurity programmes.
Michael Walsh, Deputy Principal and Dean at UCEN Manchester, said the designation reflects the institution’s accelerating efforts to deepen ties with leading technology and cybersecurity employers. “It further builds on UCEN Manchester’s existing relationships with leading global technology and cybersecurity education programmes, ensuring we remain at the forefront of multi-vendor technical education,” he said.
Check Point’s SecureAcademy programme draws on content from the Check Point Infinity Platform and partner providers, including EC-Council and Cybrary. Graduates are intended to enter the workforce with both technical depth and the operational confidence demanded by modern security teams, where prevention, automation, and intelligence-led approaches are increasingly the baseline expectation.
