Scale Up 4 Growth Gloucestershire announces free cyber security workshops for SMEs

Scale Up 4 Growth is launching a series of free Cyber Security workshops delivered by Gloucestershire College, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and NatWest.

The Scale Up 4 Growth Gloucestershire scheme supports small or medium businesses in the Gloucestershire LEP region (Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Stroud and Cotswolds) that are looking to grow. It offers eligible businesses access to grants, training and expert support to enable them to achieve their full potential.

The first two-day workshop “Cyber Security for Your Business” will take place on 14-15 October 2021 (9.15am-4pm) at Gloucestershire College’s recently launched Advanced Digital Academy (ADA), a £3m state-of-the art IT and Cyber training facility. The second workshop is planned for November.

Delivered by some of the top experts in cyber from UWE Bristol, Gloucestershire College and NatWest, the workshop supports Gloucestershire’s journey towards becoming the innovation hotbed for the cyber industry. It is aimed at business leaders without any specialist knowledge who are looking to increase their understanding of cyber security and fraud to help protect their companies from the financial and reputational risks associated with breaches.

The agenda combines theory and practice and includes sessions on the evolving landscape of cyber-crime, must-have policies and technologies, as well as the hands-on pen testing of business websites against some common threats and hacks.

Robin Halpenny, Business Development Team Manager at University of the West of England, said: “It is a fantastic opportunity for Gloucestershire LEP SMEs to receive free comprehensive cyber training that will enable them to create a safer more successful business environment in their companies. We are very excited to be bringing together such a high level of industry knowhow from Scale Up for Growth partners and are committed to supporting the region’s recovery in the post-pandemic times.”

Andy Bates, Vice Principal and CFO, Gloucestershire College, added: “The first Scale Up for Growth Gloucestershire cyber workshops come at an excellent time when the county is going full steam ahead towards its brighter cyber future. The opening of the Gloucestershire College Advanced Digital Academy (ADA) last month, and progress with the Golden Valley project – all are the important indicators of Gloucestershire becoming a prominent tech-talent hub for the region and the country. As a leading education provider in computing and cyber security, it is of our utmost priority to ensure that local employers have access to our expertise and facilities to develop their staff and strengthen their organisations with quality training.”