Registration Dates
Open on Monday, 3 April 2023 and close on Friday, 9 June 2023
Mentors must reside within Australia, and are required to register and successfully complete a Working with Children Check (or equivalent).
By joining CyberTaipan as a technical mentor, you can shape the future of Australian digital natives by highlighting a career in cybersecurity and STEM related fields.
How do technical mentors support coaches?
The type of support mentors provide will vary. As a volunteer, mentors are under no time obligation and are not required to stick to a particular support format. However, the best time to support your teams with be between the months of July - September. Once connected, coaches will be able to guide mentors on the type of support they and their team require. This could be providing a short guest lecture to teams, or simply answering technical questions that a coach may have to help train their teams more effectively.
Where possible, coaches and mentors will be paired based on proximity — however in some instances we may need to pair mentors with coaches outside of their state, to support teams remotely.
Some examples of support mentors can provide:
- advise the team's coach on technical skills
- develop, with the coach's guidance, a plan to teach cyber defence skills and cyber ethics
- provide career advice about their journey into cybersecurity or computer science
- support and advise team training events.
Working with Children Checks
A valid Working with Children Check is required for all team coaches, assistants and technical mentors. Legislation around these checks are slightly different in each state. You may know this check as a 'Working with Vulnerable People Registration' (ACT), or a 'Blue Card' (QLD). Information on these checks and the requirements needed to fulfil them can be found on the Australian Institute of Family Studies website.
Evidence of this Check must be uploaded via the Child Safe Check Requirements form. If you do not have this Check, the Program Office will be in contact to begin an application with you.
Administration and evaluation of CyberTaipan
CSIRO will be evaluating the CyberTaipan competition. As part of the evaluation CSIRO will use your registration data to review program participation. CSIRO may also invite you after completion of the competition to participate in a voluntary online survey to provide feedback about your experience.