City of Science: This is why we need more cyber sleuths in Scotland

Scotland has been world famous for its industries: shipbuilding, oil and gas, textiles, whisky and more over the years. As industries rose and fell, so too did the jobs and training available for young people.

This year, Scotland is embracing a new industry that we’re becoming world leaders in: cyber security.

According to a new report from tech industry body ScotlandIS, Scotland’s cyber security sector is thriving and is an internationally-recognised hub for cyber and tech skills. Around 230 cyber companies have a presence here and many are home grown: almost half were founded or are headquartered in Scotland.

Seven Scottish universities now offer cyber security degrees and the number of undergraduates taking cyber-related courses has doubled from 200 to 400 between 2014 and 2019.

Cyber security, or information technology security, refers to how we reduce the risk of being affected by cybercrime. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and live, with many of us spending more time online.

This has raised the importance of cyber security even more as hackers see more opportunities for cybercrime.

The total number of cyber incidents over this year has increased by a fifth compared to the annual average, and 46% of UK businesses and charities reported a cyber attack last year.

All this has meant that the cyber security revolution is here to stay and will offer new opportunities for young people in Scotland. Glasgow Science Centre is making sure young people in Glasgow and beyond are ready and have the skills they need to join this growing industry.

Cyber Scotland Week 2021

Our STEM Futures programme funded by the JP Morgan Foundation has joined forces with leading tech giant IBM to help support young people while they are still at school to better equip them for jobs in this industry.

This week, as part of Cyber Scotland Week 2021, we ran a series of events…