British Government to Recruit Teens as Next Generation of Spies
In the 50 years since the first James Bond movie created a lasting impression of a British secret agent, a completely different character is about to emerge. Britain’s intelligence agencies are to recruit their next generation of cyber spies by harnessing the talents of the “Xbox generation”.
In an expansion of a pilot program, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced Thursday that up to 100 18-year-olds will be given the chance to train for a career in Britain’s secret services. The move to recruit school-leavers marks a break with the past, when agencies mainly drew their staff from among university graduates.
“Young people are the key to our country’s future success, just as they were during the War”, Hague said. “Today we are not at war, but I see evidence every day of deliberate, organized attacks against intellectual property and government networks in the United Kingdom.”
The new recruitment program, called the Single Intelligence Account apprenticeship scheme will enable students with suitable qualifications in science, technology or engineering, to spend two years learning about communications, security and engineering through formal education, technical training and work placements.
JEARY, P. Disponível em: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com. Acesso em: 19 nov. 2012.
O texto faz referência à mudança de posicionamento do governo britânico no que tange ao recrutamento de agentes para atuar na CIA. Anteriormente, o governo recrutava entre os jovens que estavam saindo do nível superior. Agora ele anuncia estar recrutando entre adolescentes a partir de 18 anos, recém-saídos da escola.