Programmes
CyberSprint: Fast Track to the Future
CyberSprint: Fast Track to the Future helped to close the East Midlands cyber skills gap in order to build a more resilient regional workforce.
Fast Track
Led by East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC), in partnership with De Montfort University Leicester, the programme looked at reshaping cyber training from a niche IT specialism into a core capability for every sector.
The £76,000 initiative was funded by Innovate UK and was one of the original cohort of Tech Local projects to be supported nationally. Tech Local was recognised by the Cyber Security Minister as critical to strengthening the UK’s cyber resilience.
CyberSprint outputs align with government cyber strategy and Local Skills Improvement Plans, anchoring delivery in regional needs while remaining scalable nationwide.
Collaborative regional impact
CyberSprint brought together a partnership spanning academia, business, education and professional bodies. EMCSC acted as regional convener and ecosystem lead. Partners include De Montfort University, East Midlands Chamber, Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership, Leicestershire Careers Hub, Digital Planning, SASIG, Barclays Eagle Labs, BCS, and CIISEC.
Our coalition ensured that employer demand, education pathways and professional standards were joined up, rather than operating in isolation. EMCSC’s role was to connect these disparate stakeholders, champion the region’s cyber capability, and ensure the model could be replicated through the UK cyber cluster network.
Impact on schools, learners and employers
CyberSprint embedded cybersecurity awareness and careers guidance in 93 schools and colleges.
By working with the Leicester Careers Hub Digital Accelerator Programme, it created clearer entry routes for young people into cyber roles.
Meanwhile, for adults, work-based learning blueprints and bootcamps supported career changers and professionals in sectors such as law, logistics, finance, and the creative industries.
In addition, the project piloted the BCS RoleModel Plus tool. This enabled us to map roles, skills, and competencies and helped employers understand their current capability and plan progression pathways.
All activities were supported by a Cyber Skills Ecosystem Blueprint and Cyber Skills Toolkit – giving policymakers, educators and businesses a practical roadmap for future delivery.
Laying foundations for scale
Using a Theory of Change framework, CyberSprint defined short, medium, and long-term outcomes for a sustainable regional cyber skills ecosystem.
Immediate outputs include validated blueprints, stakeholder engagement, and pilot activity. Longer-term ambitions included the national scaling of the model through UKC3 and other ongoing cyber policy work.
CyberSprint showed how a regional cluster can translate policy into practice by convening partners, shaping provision and amplifying local innovation to national audiences. It also paved the way for our subsequent CyberGrowth project.
The project was a launchpad for future programmes that will continue to grow a diverse, industry-ready cyber workforce across the East Midlands and beyond.
