Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many students have enrolled in the Defence Digital and Cyber Bursary scheme in each academic year since it was launched; and how many of those students are based in Lancashire.
285 new students have enrolled in the latest cohort, taking the total number of students to 500. This follows an announcement in October 2025, where the Ministry of Defence expanded the scheme to 500 fully funded places for college-age students across Lancashire. This information is provided below:
Cohort | Academic Year | Intake | Status |
Cohort 1 | 2024-25 | 100 | Graduated |
Cohort 2 | 2025-26 | 115 | Year 13 students |
Cohort 3 | 2025-26 | 285 | Year 12 students and latest cohort |
All students are based in Lancashire, through partnerships with Digital Skills for Defence (DS4D) and the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub.