SPYING station GCHQ is on the look-out for spooks in Manchester.

The UK’s eavesdropping agency is branching out from its HQ in Cheltenham and will hold a ‘cyber school’ in the city this summer for school leavers and college students.

The six-week course starts at an un-named location in the city will begin on July 11 and is open to British students who are 18 or over.

Applicants must have, or be on track to achieve, two A levels at grade C or above as well as at least five GCSEs.

Would-be spooks must pass a five-stage selection process which includes an assessment centre also to be held in Manchester on April 4 and 11.

But if you want to follow in the footsteps of fictional spy James Bond or real-life codebreaker Alan Turing then you'll need to be able to keep a secret.

Successful applicants must be willing to sign the Official Secrets' Act and undergo security checks before they start the course.

Those who pass will get a £250-a-week ‘intern allowance’ as well as accommodation for the duration of the summer school.

GCHQ staff at its main base in Cheltenham monitor phone and data communications to prevent major crime and terrorist outrages.

Although its work is shrouded in mystery, it is known that its spooks helped to prevent a terror attack on Manchester in 2009 planned by student Abid Naseer by intercepting an email about plot. The plan was foiled and Naseer was jailed in the US last year.

Describing its Manchester course, GQHQ states on its website: “Whether you come from a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) background or not, if you have a natural curiosity for technology and an ability to solve complex problems this could be the challenge you’ve been looking for!

“You’ll get to really understand how the internet works and how GCHQ uses this to protect and serve our nation – the public, government and our armed services with a team of talented, like-minded people.

“So, if you have an aptitude for difficult challenges plus a real drive to learn, GCHQ will offer you a tailored programme of intensive development designed to build your cyber skills under the guidance of cutting edge trainers from industry and experienced GCHQ staff.

“The six-week cyber summer school curriculum will include formal learning through on-line materials and ‘classroom’ based sessions and will include experiential ‘real life’ exercises to help you apply your new-found knowledge in a practical way.”

Experts for the top-secret spy agency have previously staged events for school children and families at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry to celebrate the city's connection with codebreaker Turing and in the development of computing.

As part of the new initiative, two other ‘cyber exposure’ summer schools are being held, one in Scarborough and the other in Thames Valley.

More information can be found at: www.gchq-careers.co.uk