East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster
Delivering impactful East Midlands cyber programmes
East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster brings Government-funded cyber skills and resilience programmes into schools, colleges, and businesses across the region. Working with a wide network of partners in education, industry, and government, we turn national cyber and industrial strategy into practical action on the ground.
Regional collaboration
EMCSC acts as a Midlands-based convenor, connecting careers hubs, colleges, universities, professional bodies, employers, and other interested parties in order to build a shared cyber skills ecosystem.
Through programmes such as CyberSprint and CyberGrowth, we align local delivery with DSIT and NCSC guidance, Local Skills Improvement Plans, Industrial Strategy, Cyber Action Plan, and the wider cyber workforce agenda.
Skills in schools and colleges
Through our work under DSIT’s CyberLocal programme, EMCSC has embedded cybersecurity awareness and career pathways into 93 schools and colleges.
Activities included classroom and enrichment content, signposting to recognised qualifications such as Cyber EPQs, and guidance for educators on integrating cyber into existing subjects rather than treating it as a standalone IT topic.
Pathways for learners and career changers
Our programmes map clear routes from early engagement in school through to further and higher education, apprenticeships, bootcamps, and professional upskilling.
Using tools such as BCS RoleModel Plus – and recognised frameworks from the likes of CIISec, SFIA, and DDaT – we help individuals and providers understand the roles, skills, and competencies needed for a modern cyber workforce.
Support for employers and SMEs
EMCSC programmes help SMEs treat cyber as a leadership and governance issue, not just an IT problem.
CyberGrowth, delivered in partnership with De Montfort University and funded by DSIT and Innovate UK, provides governance workshops, workforce planning support, and access to up to 100 hours of academic consultancy.
It helped translate small business intent into practical controls and documentation.
Case study: CyberSprint
CyberSprint tackled regional cyber skills gaps by designing an inclusive, scalable training ecosystem for the East Midlands.
The project produced a Cyber Skills Ecosystem Blueprint, a Work-Based Learning model, and a Cyber Skills Toolkit that connected schools, FE/HE, businesses, and policymakers around a shared skills pipeline.
- 93 schools and colleges engaged via our Digital Accelerator Programme.
- Cyber career pathways embedded into local education guidance.
- Policy engagement initiated via LSIP and a Parliamentary roundtable to influence future skills strategy.
Case study: CyberGrowth
Building on CyberSprint, our CyberGrowth programme tested how national cyber policy could be operationalised through a regional ecosystem for SMEs.
The programme combined governance improvement, workforce development, applied academic consultancy, and a regional summit. It resulted in a coherent pathway that helped organisations move from awareness to embedded practice.
- Incubator to align small business leadership and governance workshops with DSIT and NCSC guidance.
- Accelerator to offer practical workforce and skills planning for SMEs starting from low baselines.
- Enterprise pathway giving 100 hours of academic consultancy to 5 small businesses to accelerate scalable cyber readiness.
- The first East Midlands Cyber Summit as a regional forum for 100+ delegates to share diagnostics, good practice, and mobilise further support.
Aligned with national strategy
Both CyberSprint and CyberGrowth are built around Theory of Change models that link Government investment to long-term regional impact on skills, resilience, and growth.
By acting as a trusted regional intermediary, EMCSC reduces the implementation gap between national policy and everyday practice in education settings and SMEs, supporting safer digital adoption and economic growth across the Midlands.
