Is this the same as the Cybersecurity bootcamp?

No. The bootcamp is a longer cohort programme that starts from zero. This pathway is a four-week private engagement for one learner, assumes basic IT and networking on entry, and moves at a full-time accelerated pace.

Is everything live teaching?

No. Your time combines private instruction, guided labs, hands-on security operations, and reviews, and you are expected to complete structured self-study alongside the mentored day.

Which certifications does it map to?

Training content is mapped to publicly available exam blueprints, primarily CompTIA Security+ and Microsoft security exam domains such as SC-200. Xcademia is not an authorised training provider or examination centre. All certification exams are optional and booked directly by delegates with the relevant awarding bodies.

Is Career+ really included?

Yes. Career+ career support is included in this private pathway at no extra cost, where it is often an optional paid add-on elsewhere. It covers CV, LinkedIn, interview preparation, and job search support after you finish, delivered one-to-one. It does not guarantee a job offer.

How do deposit and instalments work?

There is no instant checkout. After acceptance, an advisor confirms your start date and agrees a deposit and instalment schedule with you before enrolment.

Does this guarantee a job?

No. The pathway builds assessed defender capability and professional evidence, but employment and salary outcomes depend on your experience, market, performance, and job search.

Home PathwaysCybersecurity Accelerated

Private 1:1 pathwayOne learner per intakeCareer+ included

Four-week full-time engagement

Cybersecurity Accelerated Pathway

Four weeks of private cybersecurity training, shaped around your starting point and goal. Move from core security foundations to identity and cloud defence, live security operations, threat hunting, incident response, and a defended capstone, then continue into Career+ support.

Guided plus self-studyDedicated senior mentorDefended capstone

Explore the full curriculum

Founding client rate

$10,999$11,999

Payment plan agreed privately after acceptance. No instant checkout.

Application only

1 learner per intake

4 weeks

Full-time intensive

1:1

Private delivery

1 learner

Per intake

Career+

Included

Your four stages

One capability unlocked each week

The pathway moves through four defensive stages. Each stage ends with an assessed sign-off before the next begins.

Week 1 · Defend
Security Foundations and Core Defence
Reason about threats, apply cryptography, and harden systems with discipline.
Week 2 · Protect
Identity, Cloud, and Endpoint Security
Secure identities, endpoints, and cloud workloads across hybrid environments.
Week 3 · Detect
Security Operations and Response
Operate a SIEM, hunt threats, and run the incident response lifecycle.
Week 4 · Prove
Governance, Capstone, and Exam Readiness
Deliver and defend a monitored security engagement, then plan your exams.

Full curriculum

Four weeks. One capability unlocked at a time.

Every day has a security focus, guided lab, assessed deliverable, and mentor review. Expand each week to inspect the complete plan.

Security workstation showing packet capture, hardening, and a risk register — Week 1 engineering environment

Day 1

Orientation and IT/networking refresher

Confirm your baseline and set your private security plan.

Topics

Networking refresher (IP, DNS, HTTP)
Operating systems and the CLI
Security mindset and terminology
The CIA triad and defence in depth

Guided lab: Map a small network, inspect traffic, and set up your Linux and analysis workstation.

Assessed deliverable: Personal capability map and configured security lab environment.

LinuxWiresharkVirtualBox

Day 2

Threat landscape and attacker behaviour

Understand who attacks, why, and how.

Topics

Threat actors and motivations
Malware families
Social engineering
MITRE ATT&CK basics

Guided lab: Analyse a sample attack chain and map each step to MITRE ATT&CK techniques.

Assessed deliverable: Annotated attack chain with ATT&CK mapping.

MITRE ATT&CKAny.run patternsLinux

Day 3

Cryptography and secure communications

Apply cryptography correctly instead of theoretically.

Topics

Symmetric and asymmetric encryption
Hashing and integrity
TLS and certificates
PKI in practice

Guided lab: Inspect a TLS handshake, validate certificates, and break a deliberately weak configuration.

Assessed deliverable: Cryptography review notes and a fixed TLS configuration.

OpenSSLWiresharkLinux

Day 4

Access control and network security

Control who can reach what, and how.

Topics

Authentication and authorisation
Least privilege and RBAC
Firewalls and segmentation
Secure network design

Guided lab: Design and enforce a segmented network with least-privilege access rules.

Assessed deliverable: Network security design with access control matrix.

pfSense patternsNmapLinux

Day 5

Risk, hardening, and week-one review

Turn principles into a defensible, hardened system.

Topics

Risk assessment
System hardening
Vulnerability scanning
Security baselines

Guided lab: Harden a server against a baseline, scan it, and remediate the findings.

Assessed deliverable: Week-one review, hardened build, and risk register.

OpenVASCIS BenchmarksNmap

Week 1 sign-off: A hardened reference environment with documented controls, a risk register, and a Security+ aligned knowledge check.

Your working day

A full-time rhythm built for mastery

Each weekday balances direct teaching, guided practice, focused build time, and review. Alongside the mentored day, you are expected to put in structured self-study to consolidate what you build.

09:00Private instruction and defensive design

12:00Guided security laboratory

14:00Independent operations sprint

16:30Review, investigation, and planning

How your time is spent

The activity mix, visualised

Private instruction

35%

Concept teaching, defensive architecture, and direct security coaching.

Guided security labs

25%

Mentor-defined labs across hardening, cloud, SIEM, and response.

Independent operations work

20%

Focused hands-on detection and investigation with targeted mentor support.

Self-study and review

20%

Structured reading, exam practice, and capstone preparation in your own time.

What you will be able to do

Operational defender capability, not surface-level familiarity

Apply core security principles across threats, cryptography, access control, and risk

Secure identities, endpoints, and cloud workloads across hybrid environments

Build and tune SIEM detections and dashboards using KQL

Run structured threat hunts mapped to MITRE ATT&CK

Work an incident from detection to recovery with preserved evidence

Deliver and defend a monitored, documented security capstone

Technical toolkit

Tools used across the pathway

Microsoft SentinelMicrosoft DefenderKQLEntra IDAzureWiresharkNmapSplunkLinuxPowerShellMITRE ATT&CKNIST CSFISO 27001OpenVAS

Tools follow the defensive decision

Your mentor may substitute equivalent industry tools (for example Splunk in place of Sentinel) where your capstone, employer stack, or target role requires it.

Cybersecurity learner presenting a defended security engagement to a senior mentor

Your capstone defence

Leave with evidence you can defend

Present the monitored environment, defend your detection strategy, walk through an incident you handled, and show how you would operate it in production.

Monitored environmentCustom detectionsIncident evidenceTechnical defence

Included with your private pathway

Career+ comes built in

Career+ is included in this pathway at no extra cost, and delivered one-to-one by the same mentor who has just watched you build and defend a security engagement. Elsewhere it is usually an optional paid add-on shared across a group.

Because the work is private, your career support is built around you specifically: your capstone, your background, and the exact security roles you are targeting. We cannot promise an offer, but no part of your positioning is left generic.

What Career+ covers

A private positioning session where your mentor turns your capstone into evidence employers trust
CV and LinkedIn rewritten one-to-one around your assessed security work
Personalised mock interviews using questions matched to SOC and security analyst roles
A focused job search plan built with your mentor, with follow-up check-ins after you finish

Being honest: Career+ improves your readiness and evidence. Employment and salary outcomes still depend on your experience, market, and performance.

Career context

Roles this capability supports

Illustrative market ranges only. Compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and evidence of practical capability. This programme does not guarantee employment or salary outcomes.

RoleUKUS

SOC Analyst£30k - £45k+$60k - $90k+

Security Analyst£35k - £55k+$70k - $110k+

Cybersecurity Engineer£45k - £70k+$90k - $140k+

Identity / Cloud Security Engineer£50k - £80k+$100k - $160k+

Certificate and professional evidence

Successful completion requires delivery of the assessed work and a satisfactory capstone defence. You receive an Xcademia certificate, private assessment summary, capstone report, detection and incident evidence, and a portfolio-ready runbook.

Entry prerequisites

You need to be comfortable with everyday computer use and have a basic understanding of networking, or be willing to complete a day-one refresher. This pathway is not suitable for complete IT beginners. Every applicant completes a diagnostic before acceptance.

Private programme investment

A senior mentor focused on one learner