How re_B00TCMP is upskilling emerging Australian cyber security specialists.

High school students are getting real, hands-on experiences of cyber security ahead of joining the Australian workforce, thanks to the Australian Federal Police’s latest re_B00TCMP delivered in partnership with the Western Australian Police Force, and Kinetic IT. 

More than 40 students took part in the event hosted by Edith Cowan University in mid-April, working alongside 26 mentors from industry, academia, and law enforcement. Alongside practical cyber security challenges, the program explored the ethical use of cyber skills and the importance of understanding legal boundaries online. Kinetic IT co-delivered a tabletop cyber security exercise with training provider Retrospect Labs as part of the day. 

The follow-up event – a Cyber Security Experience Day – gave 13 students from re_B00TCMP the chance to spend a day inside a working cyber security environment at Kinetic IT’s Perth office. Held on 9 July, the day was delivered in partnership with the AFP, the Western Australian Police Force, and Hack The Box. 

Wayne Woodman, Kinetic IT’s Head of Policing and Emergency Services, opened proceedings, followed by career stories from Kinetic IT’s technical mentors. Students then worked through three technical challenges on the Hack The Box platform over roughly two and a half hours, before a closing career panel and open Q&A with industry mentors. 

During the career session, students heard directly from Kinetic IT subject matter experts about their own paths into cyber security. The mentors’ routes into the industry varied — some came through traditional IT qualifications, others through different fields entirely — underscoring a point the AFP and Kinetic IT both wanted to share with emerging talent: there is no single perfect route into a cyber security career.  

Discussion through the day extended beyond technical skills. Mentors talked with students about the role teamwork, communication, and problem-solving play inside a Security Operations Centre (SOC), where technical expertise and these skills combine under pressure. 

Wayne said programs such as AFP’s are working to shift the dial on engaging talent. 

“Programs like re_B00TCMP give students a real look at what a career in cyber security actually involves, not just the idea of it. Australia needs a lot more people coming through this pipeline over the next few years, and events like these are where that starts. 

“What struck me watching the students work was how naturally curious they were. That’s the trait that matters most in this field, more than any qualification you can teach. 

“We work with government and critical infrastructure clients who feel the cyber skills shortage directly. Supporting programs like this is a practical way to help close that gap, not just talk about it.” 

Kinetic IT Senior Security Engineer Dillon McIntee joined re_B00TCMP as a mentor for the day.  

“I remember being the same age as the students and having no idea this kind of work even existed as a job. Getting to show that to a room of students who are genuinely good at it was awesome. 

“The students picked things up faster than a lot of people I’ve trained in professional settings. A few of them asked questions that told me they were already thinking like analysts. Cyber security gets treated like a mystery box from the outside. Spending the day walking students through real challenges strips that away pretty quickly.” 

Both events sit against a documented national shortfall in Australia’s cyber security workforce.  

The Australian Computer Society’s Digital Pulse 2026 report puts the current tech workforce at around 967,000 professionals, with an additional 259,000 skilled workers needed over the next decade to meet demand.  

Relatedly, more than half of Australian Public Service agencies identified critical cyber security skills shortages in their workforce, according to the Australian Public Service Commission’s State of the Service Report 2023–24.  

Kinetic IT supports customers across government, defence, and critical infrastructure sectors – organisations with a direct stake in the depth of Australia’s cyber security talent pool. 

Community Engagement Manager Christine Victor said Kinetic IT was pleased to play a part in re_B00TCMP as part of a wider push from the industry ecosystem to support emerging talent. 

“The gap in Australia’s cyber security workforce isn’t going to close through one program or one company. It closes through consistent effort from everyone in the ecosystem — police, industry, education — showing up for students year after year.  

“Most of these students have never met someone who works in cyber security. Once they do, the career stops being abstract. That shift is worth more than any careers pamphlet we could hand out.” 

re_B00TCMP has now run in Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide, and Perth since 2024, coordinated through the AFP’s Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre.  

Kinetic IT thanked the AFP, the Western Australian Police Force, Retrospect Labs, and Hack The Box for their support across both events. 

Read more about Kinetic IT’s community partnerships and participation.