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Earlier this year, De Monfort University Leicester's (Ð԰ɵç̨) Cyber Skills Lead, Dr Ismini Vasileiou, authored a white paper in which she highlighted the outdated training systems which are leaving the UK “dangerously exposed” to cyber-attacks. 

The paper made clear and urgent recommendations for Government intervention to build the inclusive and sustainable cyber workforce of the future. A new approach would provide consistent role definitions, skills standards, and career progression across sectors. 

As a result, Dr Vasileiou has been invited to an event today at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, hosted by the Cybersecurity Business Network. 

Here she writes about why the recommendations she makes in the paper are so necessary. 

By Dr Ismini Vasileiou 

When we published the Cyber Workforce of the Future White Paper earlier this year, one message came through loud and clear: our current approach to cyber skills isn’t fit for purpose. The UK cannot build a 21st-century digital economy on a 20th-century skills pipeline. 

Tonight, I’ll be at the Labour Party Conference taking part in a round table dinner looking at the UK’s digital resilience. I’ll be contributing to discussions as a guest of the Cybersecurity Business Network, exploring how we build the cyber workforce of the future and trying to ensure the skills challenge is firmly on the national agenda. 

The White Paper called on Government to take five urgent steps from creating a national cyber skills set of standards to aligning education and career pathways with real-world needs. Since its launch, it has been encouraging to see the traction it has gained, with interest from industry, professional bodies, and policymakers. But publishing a paper is only the start. What really matters is what happens next. We need the White Paper embedded in the National Cyber Strategy.  

Businesses, especially SMEs and microbusinesses, often tell me they struggle to know what cyber support and training is available, or how to connect with the right people.  

That’s why I am leading East Midlands CyberGrowth, a fully-funded programme boosting the digital resilience of small businesses. 

The in-person programme will be delivered by East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster with the support of Ð԰ɵç̨, and funded by Innovate UK. 

It will help 30 regional SMEs learn how to integrate security systems - and take practical steps towards improved cyber resilience. 

East Midlands CyberGrowth will offer practical, hands-on workshops for businesses that want to take action about how they manage cyber risk, train staff, and protect operations. 

It will also host the first East Midlands Cyber Summit 2026, an event that will bring together 100+ delegates to showcase achievements, facilitate learning, and engage with leading voices in cyber resilience. 

Universities, if I’m honest, haven’t always made it easy to navigate our expertise. That’s why collaboration through forums like the round table and Cyber Growth programmes are so vital. They give us the chance to break down barriers, share intelligence and insights, and start co-creating solutions that work for the whole ecosystem. 

I’ll be using the platform to reinforce the urgency of reforming how we think about cyber skills, but also to listen and learn from others around the table. Because no single organisation can fix this alone. 

The cyber threat is real, growing, and constantly evolving. If we don’t act now to equip the UK with a diverse, future-ready workforce, we risk leaving our economy, our businesses and our citizens dangerously exposed. This discussion is another step towards making sure that doesn’t happen.