Does my child need a technical background?

No. This is a leadership programme. Students learn the cybersecurity basics they need in week 1, and there is a short hands-on technical exercise between weeks 2 and 3.

Will they build anything?

No, this is a leadership programme. Like consultants, teams analyse a real breach and present a plan to a board. Students who want to go technical get the hands-on exercise between weeks 2 and 3.

When does it start, and how much is it?

The first cohort runs on 4 Saturdays, 9 to 30 January 2027, 1:00 to 3:30 PM. Tuition is AED 3,000 for the full programme.

Do students work alone or in teams?

In teams of 4 to 5. Each team leads one real case.

Who judges the final day?

A panel of industry practitioners acting as the board. Parents and school representatives are invited.

All programmesCybersecurity · Ages 14 to 20

Cybersecurity Course for Teens in Dubai

Four Saturdays at the Dubai AI Campus, where teams of teens aged 14 to 20 act as the leadership of an organisation hit by a real cyberattack, then defend their response before a panel of industry practitioners. It is a leadership course built on real cases, not a hacking class.

What kind of cyber course this is

It is a case-based leadership programme, not a hacking course. Teams of four to five students act as the leadership of a real organisation that has just suffered a major cyberattack: they work out how it happened, what it cost, how to respond, and how to stop it happening again, then defend the plan before an executive panel.

Students do not build tools and they do not practise breaking into systems. Like consultants, they analyse a real breach and present a plan to a board. A short hands-on technical exercise between weeks 2 and 3 gives anyone who wants it a taste of the technical side.

The four weeks

The programme is for ages 14 to 20 and assumes no technical background: week 1 teaches the cybersecurity basics the cases need. Each team also delivers a written artefact every week.

Week 1, launch and case assignment: confidentiality, integrity and availability, how risk is measured, the main fields of cyber, and the threat landscape. Teams are formed and each team gets its case.
Week 2, anatomy of the breach and business impact: the incident timeline, a root-cause hypothesis, and what the breach cost the business financially, operationally, legally and in reputation.
Week 3, response, recovery, prevention and leadership: how an incident response runs, a tabletop drill on the team’s own case, the controls that would have stopped the breach, and a dry run of the presentation.
Week 4, Final Day on Saturday 30 January: a 12-minute presentation and Q&A to a mock board of industry practitioners.

The mentor

Ali Khan, Ex-Partner, Deloitte · Executive cybersecurity leader · CCISO, CISM, CISSP, CDPSE, CISA.

Known as #thecyberAli, Ali Khan is an executive cybersecurity professional, author, thought leader, mentor and angel investor, raised across three continents. He leads cybersecurity initiatives for organisations around the world, and works closely with schools and universities to develop the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, mentoring aspiring cyber professionals and startups. Ali holds an Executive Management Certificate in Leading Organizations in Disruptive Times from INSEAD and an Honours BA in Information Technology Management from York University, Canada.

The programme is created by Klaster with Leyla Baymaganbetova and Ali Khan.

The Final Day

Teams present as the leadership of their breached organisation to a mock board of industry practitioners. Parents and school representatives are invited.

Awards: Best Overall Team, Best Presenter and Most Innovative Recommendation.

The internships

There are 5 internships for the top students of the cohort, selected on their work and the Final Day. Not every student gets one.

How each Saturday runs

Each Saturday runs from 13:00 to 15:30, with guided instruction, team work on the case (Ali works with each team) and a check-in with the Programme Lead. Students bring a laptop.

What the student leaves with

The work is built to be shown, and the audience for it is adults from the industry rather than a teacher marking a report.

A board-style presentation delivered to an executive panel.
A certificate of completion.
A chance at one of three awards: Best Overall Team, Best Presenter, Most Innovative Recommendation.
A chance at one of the 5 internships, for the top students.
Real experience of leading through a crisis.

Practical details

Klaster Academy is a KHDA-certified training centre (permit 1151351), and every session runs in person at the Dubai AI Campus in DIFC.

Dates: 4 Saturdays, 9, 16, 23 and 30 January 2027.
Time: 13:00 to 15:30, in person at Dubai AI Campus, Gate Avenue, DIFC.
Fee: AED 3,000 for the full programme, paid in full.
Ages: 14 to 20, working in teams of 4 to 5.
Bring: a laptop. Nothing to install beforehand.

How to register

The registration form is on the programme page: the parent's name, the student's name, a phone number and an email address. You then receive a confirmation email with the next steps and the payment link for the AED 3,000 fee.

Questions before you register go to hello@klaster.me or +971 52 159 6049.