Meeting the UK’s future cyber security skills needs
East Midlands Cyber Security is leading a multi-agency drive to reshape UK policy around addressing online threats.
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An urgent challenge
The impact of cyber security breaches is increasingly visible and increasingly frequent, impacting not just large corporations but also UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The digital economy is central to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy 2030, however, the current cyber education ecosystem is fragmented and outdated.
It is struggling to keep pace with 21st Century challenges.
Introducing our White Paper
East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC) is working in collaboration with a string of leading industry and academic partners to address the pressing challenge of cyber security skills gaps in the UK.
Together, we have published a landmark White Paper highlighting urgent challenges and actionable solutions to develop a taxonomy to build a sustainable, inclusive, and future-ready UK cyber security workforce.
Why now?
Industry experts and policymakers alike warn that the UK’s cyber skills pipeline is no longer fit for purpose.
The spread of digital technologies, accelerated by the need for digital transformation, has exposed businesses to complex, organised cyber threats.
Yet – despite high-profile attacks making headlines about billions in lost productivity – the chronic shortage of skilled professionals is not receiving the attention it deserves.
Our policy call to action
Our White Paper stemmed from a discussion between industry and policy experts, staged in Westminster in early 2025.
We published our White Paper in July 2025, with the support of the APPG for Cyber Innovation, De Montfort University Leicester, and UKC3.
It was discussed as part of an industry round table hosted by the Cyber Security Business Network (CBN) during that year’s Labour Party Conference.
And it was officially launched in Westminster in October 2025.
Key findings
Our White Paper makes several key findings, all based on the experience and evidence provided by UK industry experts:
- Current cyber training systems are fragmented, outdated, and unable to meet growing demand.
- There is a stark mismatch between Government industrial ambitions and the reality of educational provision and skills development.
- Without urgent reform, businesses and citizens will be left dangerously exposed as digital adoption increases.
Our ask of Government
Our White Paper sets out a clear agenda for Government intervention, including 5 key recommendations:
- Establish a DSIT-led taskforce to co-create a UK Cyber Skills Taxonomy
- Establish a national delivery body to own and govern the taxonomy
- Incentivise employer adoption of standardised, skills-based recruitment
- Align education and career pathways to real-world cyber roles
- Scale regional skills alignment through a National Implementation Framework.
Next steps
Our White Paper is gaining the support of an increasing number of leading industry policy and delivery partners.
Our aim is for it to help inform the Government’s updated National Cyber Strategy – setting a foundation for a robust, secure digital UK.
Read our White Paper
Cyber Workforce of the Future: Why the UK needs a skills taxonomy now can be read in full online.