From the Classroom to Cyber Battle Australia Grand Final

Nine Certificate IV in Cyber Security (22603VIC) students based at TAFE’s South Bank Campus earned their place in the finals after finishing first in the May 17 qualifying round.

The qualifying Round was an online Capture the Flag competition, where 73 teams from Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney logged in and faced off in a 4-hour online Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge.

CTF events see participants apply their acquired cyber skills to collect “flags” within a provided virtual IT environment using a world-class, NATO-awarded cyber range.

The intense online Qualifying Round saw the teams using mission-based learning, where participants play and compete in rounds of cyber security exercises.

Apsara Karandawala, Educational Team Leader in the Faculty of Creative Art and Digital Design, said the Qualifying Round was an engaging and successful experience for all student participants.

“All of our participating students put their skills to the test in one of the field's most challenging arenas,” said Apsara.

“This experience was invaluable for our students to apply what they’ve learned in class to real-world challenges.”

Seventy per cent of the qualified participants are made up of TAFE students, with 12 per cent female. It is a promising sign of growing diversity in the field, showcasing the strength of the cyber security training they receive at TAFE Queensland.

“I am thrilled that the talented Ethan Price, Jake Smith and Cole Ballam (Macrodata Refinement), Jaxon Watt, Lily Cabassi and Daniel May (404 Not Found), and Anna Nguyen, Phil Geon Heo and Ethan Moritz (Brain Dead) teams will travel to Melbourne to represent TAFE Queensland and our state,” continued Apsara.

The TAFE Queensland teams are heading to Melbourne in July for the Grand Final, featuring an intense 6-hour, in-person Capture the Flag (CTF) competition.

They will battle it out in a live, high-intensity, six-hour competition against the top teams from around the country to be crowned national champions.

For these students, it’s more than just a competition. It’s a rare opportunity to apply theory in one of the world’s most demanding cyber security environments.

The winning team for the Grand Final will travel to Estonia for the international cyber competition, taking on the best in the world.

Win or lose, this experience can open doors to exciting careers in government, defence, and global tech industries.