How culture change could solve the cyber skills shortage
Is one more push all it will take to make the huge efforts in Gloucestershire to tackle the serious skills shortage in the cyber sector bear fruit?
Dears reader,
Welcome to the first edition of The Raikes Journal of the week.
We’re late to publish, so my apologies. We went looking for this story yesterday and ended up with an embarrassment of riches, deciding in the end to go with our original plan and save the other stories - for the moment.
That main lead is something of a follow-on from last Friday’s edition which talked about the potential of Berkeley in Gloucestershire and Oldbury in South Gloucestershire - if they are chosen as the locations for the next generation of nuclear power investment here in the UK.
Which let into a conversation about skills. Where are the staff going to come from, both to build it and to operate it, and who is going to train them?
And that made us think of another sector fast-emerging and being championed as a catalyst for future and driver of the much talked about Golden Valley Development - cyber.
While the Government acknowledges “significant improvements” have been made in training potential new talent for the cyber security market, it also estimates 637,000 UK businesses have a “basic skills gap” when it comes to cyber security.
Speaking just this week at the Government’s Cyber Security Conference, Richard Horne, the NCSC’s chief executive officer, said there was much work to be done.
“Building resilience is not just best practice. It’s a strategic imperative,” he said.
How to solve the skills gap then?
For a county that has aspirations to become the ‘cyber capital of the UK’, finding the answer to the question is imperative.
The article below takes a look, and hears from those in the know about where a solution might lie.
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Have a great week.
Andrew Merrell (editor).
If you have a story, an issue, a news item, a charity or an interview you want us to write about or investigate, challenge the powers that be on, then please email me: andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk.
NB: We believe Raikes now publishes probably the best-read business-related email ‘newsletter’, pound for pound, in Gloucestershire. Readership is growing and 2025 looks good!
Outstanding - again!
As we were about to publish this very edition, Hartpury College, one of the headline sponsors of The Raikes Journal, revealed it has just been crowned ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Again! This time for its accommodation. Hartpury also provides accommodation for its 703 residential students (585 of whom are under 18), with “with a strong emphasis on student well-being, safety, safeguarding and academic success”. Ofsted said “students thrive in the residential provision at this college. A dedicated and committed staff team supports them to reach their potential. Leaders nurture and foster a sense of community that students belong to.” Lesley Worsfold, deputy principal (resources), said: “It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and the positive, supportive community we have built here at Hartpury.” Hartpury secured an outstanding rating from Ofsted for its teaching in April 2024.
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Your briefing notes
🤝 With National Apprenticeship Week just a week away we wanted to flag an event due to take place at Gloucestershire College - for both employers and wannabe apprentices. As part of the week-long national celebration, which seeks to raise the profile of the route to work and champion their potential, the college is due to stage its apprenticeship open evening 2025 on Wednesday 26 February from 5pm to 8pm at its Gloucester campus, Llanthony Road, Gloucester (GL2 5JQ). You’ll meet more than 40 businesses from six ‘industry zones’ and be able to ask questions about apprenticeship vacancies and hear about apprenticeships from the college’s award-winning team - and from current and past apprentices about their experiences. Find out more on Eventbrite.
🏆 University of Gloucestershire will also be marking National Apprenticeship Week 2025, by celebrating the achievements of its many apprentices at a special awards event. Its inaugural Apprenticeship Awards 2025 will take place in front of an audience including dozens of employers who are collaborating with the university to offer apprenticeships across 18 different programmes covering cyber and computing, health and social care, business and education. The University is working with hundreds of employers and around 1,000 learners. Programmes offered range from the level 5 (foundation degree-level) to level 7 (master’s-level) programmes. The awards event, to be held on Wednesday 12 February 2025.
🏘️🏗️ Persimmon Homes Severn Valley says its sister brand, Charles Church, will soon begin work on the next phase of its plans to build 304 one-to-five bedroom homes at Fiddington Fields, Tewkesbury, after it won permission for the development. One hundred and five of the new homes will be reserved for a local housing association “to alleviate pressure on local housing waiting lists”. Persimmon said it would also be giving £700,000 towards library and bus services as well and more than £3.4 million towards early years primary education as part of the scheme.
🛍️🎄 There was cheery retail news from Gloucester Quays to start the week. Its trading figures for Christmas show ‘considerable growth’. Apparently the business, part of Peel Retail & Leisure, saw sales rise 6.7 per cent ahead of the national average. Across November and December they were up 3.6 per cent compared with 2023 (which was a record year), with food and beverage sales up 7.6 per cent. Looking at 2024 in total, there was a 7.4 per cent increase in sales across the Quays; 6.1 per cent for retail and 8.5 for food F&B. For brands including Next, Skechers, All Saints, Mountain Warehouse, Puma, Crew Clothing, Le Creuset, and Suit Direct there was double-digit growth. Paul Carter, asset director at Peel Retail & Leisure, said it was a “credit to our team and our brands”.
🥇Gloucester-headquartered Ecclesiastical has just been recognised for excellence in claims handling by independent consultancy Gracechurch for the fourth year in a row. It has awarded Ecclesiastical the Service Quality Marque (SQM), which it gives annually to businesses proven to consistently deliver outstanding service quality for claims handling. It marks Eccesiastical out as a market leader in both casualty/liability and property markets and heaps praise on its staff too.
How culture change could solve the cyber skills shortage
Is one more push all it will take to make the huge efforts in Gloucestershire to tackle the serious skills shortage in the cyber sector bear fruit?
By Andrew Merrell.
A growing shortage of staff in the cyber security sector is hampering growth, losing companies millions of pounds and risking national security. Encouraging more people into the profession is the answer – or is it?
Logic would suggest the solution is simple - we get more young people interested in cyber and digital, we get colleges training those people and companies will be waiting at the other end to employ them. Job done.
As great as that formula sounds, it doesn’t seem to always add up.
Andy Bates, Gloucestershire College, said: “We do have people who come to us and say the companies can’t get the skills – what can you do to get more young people interested?
“It is easy to blame it all on young people not wanting to get into cyber and IT. It is an easy thing to say.
“But I don’t think we have to ask whether young people want to get into cyber and IT. We are actually oversubscribed (for our cyber courses).”
He added: “I think some of that enthusiasm for the subject is down to the great work organisations like Cyber First has done, for example.”
Bates was acknowledging the already considerable efforts by the Government outreach and education programme run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC); part of GCHQ.
He also praised CyNam, the influential Cheltenham-based cyber and tech network, which has worked to promote the sector county-wide.
And then there is the college’s own obvious commitment and investment, not least the £3 million Advanced Digital Academy (named after Ada Lovelace) at the college’s Cheltenham campus, its courses that include a cyber degree apprenticeship.
It’s acampus that has also become the home to a second Hub8 shared workspace for cyber-focused firms, supporting the MX centre in Cheltenhan town centre, and underlining the college’s close working relationship with the county’s business community.
Lots of foundation stones are in place, it seems.
More proof that a good level of enthusiasm for the sector already exists can be seen, he said, when entry-level positions become available.
“For example, Amazon is an obvious success story. We work with them. They put six staff members through our cyber degree apprenticeships.
“They had 4,000 applications for those roles. No one thinks young people don’t want to do apprenticeships and get into cyber.
“We get 50, 60, 70 applications per apprenticeship.”
It is understood those who made it through the training at Amazon would start on a salary in the region of £40,000, which probably helped too.
“What really needs to happen is more entry-level opportunities by companies that they have to deliver on. It is about trying to bring about culture change.
“That’s how we help solve these challenges,” said Bates, acknowledging at the same time it was not quite as easy as just getting companies, the ones who want staff, to look at growing their own.
“There are a lot of factors. We did a lot of work with CyNam to try and work this out, but didn’t really get to the bottom of it.”
It is understood a consortium of partners including CyNam and the college won a grant from DSIT (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) to support cyber SMEs in taking on apprentices.
“There are lots of possible reasons why there are not more entry-level roles,” said Bates.
“Some of it might be down to the fact it seems easier to pay someone a little bit more and entice them from the competition, few of these businesses have offices – there is a lot of remote working – so where does the entry level person sit?
“There is the cost – from training them to the extra computer you need, etc. And there are factors like clearance. That is a massive factor.
“And to work for many of these firms you need security clearance, and that is hard to come by for trainees.”
It’s something of a Catch-22. Without clearance you can’t work, but if you can’t work you can’t get clearance. Typically you need to be sponsored by a company to gain that status.
Matchtech, one of the UK’s largest recruitment firms for the tech sector, said clearance can take anything between six to eight weeks for Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and up to six months for the higher level Developed Vetting (DV). It can be time a company in a hurry has not got. Add that onto the length of time it takes to train inexperienced staff too, and you can see the issue.
“We could have some kind of incentive system? A lot of the businesses are working for the few big prime companies or with GCHQ,” suggested Bates, thinking out loud.
“Perhaps if you win a contract you could have to commit to a certain number of entry-level positions, and that cost is factored into the contract, acknowledging the investment.
“I would be great if we can get people some kind of security clearance for when they leave college. That would immediately make them must more attractive too.
“We have been working with the NCSC on this to see if that is possible in some way.”
He’s not holding his breath, however, acknowledging the seriousness of the process for the sector.
But all of the above perhaps helps explains the tendency for firms to look for new recruits from the existing labour pool, poach staff, the pressure on wages and why entry level positions simply don’t materialise at some firms.
“Some of it is definitely cultural. With cyber and IT businesses a lot of the people who work for them have degrees. They have been to university. They have culturally not really looked at apprenticeships or how they can work,” said Bates.
That’s not to say there are not companies in the cybersphere here in Gloucestershire already convinced by the potential of entry-level staff.
North Tower Consulting, a customised software solutions consultancy based in Cheltenham, is one of them.
We asked the firm for its opinion. It sent us this statement: “We wholeheartedly agree with the view that the real challenge in the cyber sector isn’t just about attracting talent—it’s about businesses creating the right environment for training and development.
“The demand for cyber skills is at an all-time high, but without structured pathways into the industry, many talented individuals struggle to find their way in.
“This is precisely why we have embraced trainee positions and learning-on-the-job initiatives.
“We believe that investing in talent, rather than expecting fully qualified professionals to appear on the job market, is the key to building a workforce for the future.
“Cyber security is a constantly evolving field, and the best way to develop experts is through hands-on experience, mentorship, and a culture of continuous learning.
“One of the biggest advantages of this approach is diversity.
“By opening our doors to a wider pool of candidates - including career changers, apprentices, and those without traditional cyber backgrounds - we bring in fresh perspectives that drive innovation.
“Cyber threats are constantly evolving, and having a workforce with varied experiences and ways of thinking helps us stay ahead of those challenges.
“That’s not to say it was always easy. Building a strong training programme requires time, resources, and a commitment from leadership.
“However, the payoff is undeniable. Not only does it future-proof our business by ensuring we have skilled professionals in-house, but it also fosters loyalty, motivation, and a strong team culture.
“To encourage more businesses to follow suit, we need to change the perception that training is a cost rather than an investment.
“More importantly, businesses need to recognise that bringing in trainees isn’t just about filling vacancies—it’s about shaping the future of the cyber industry.
“By advocating for structured training and embracing diverse talent, companies can play a pivotal role in closing the cyber skills gap while also strengthening their own organisations.
“We hope to see more businesses step up and take the lead in developing the next generation of cyber professionals.”
David Woodfine is managing director of CSA Cyber, a Quedgeley–headquartered cyber security specialist. He’s also chairman of the county’s cyber tech group (formerly part of GFirst LEP), which aims to support both the college and the university to spread the message of cyber training initiatives.
He too agrees that culture change is what is needed. Much of the heavy lifting has been done. But for Woodfine, the tipping point is tantalisingly close.
“We need to keep pushing the message, alongside CyNam and the academic institutions,” said Woodfine.
“I have been a massive advocate of youth joining CSA and this academic year we have taken on two apprentices and two interns.
“But the question on why other cyber companies are so taken by this is a simple one of communication and marketing.
“I don’t mean marketing email shots, but more case studies by companies like CSA Cyber and the students themselves.
“Simple things like short videos, interviews and visits could add value.
“Companies also need to have a better understanding of the process, ie financial process, leveraging a wider levy, what is involved etc.”
Charlotte Smith, cyber skills growth lead coordinator at CyNam, is one of those who has looked at this closely.
“We have delivered a variety of programmes to encourage further engagement between business and education over the last 18 months to two years and there has been some interesting feedback,” said Smith.
“I can see exactly where the college is coming from about the establishment of more entry-level roles; and for those businesses, large enough to utilise the apprenticeship levy and make good use of it, they are able to build into their business continuity plan a regular intake of entry level apprentices.
“This process is excellent and builds an excellent reputation with loyal staff in many cases, and where a business has the capacity and resources to deliver these roles it would be great to offer more apprenticeships to more companies.
“An SME or a new business start-up may however be looking to enter the sector, compete for business, and need to behave with more agility being able to respond to sector developments to remain at the forefront of their industry, so for them recruiting talent that can make an immediate impact to the business would be key.
“There still is a perceived bureaucracy of the apprenticeship scheme with paperwork, time away from the workplace, and fitting into the business quickly so these can be a negative.
“Our way around this is to exemplify the benefits, the quality and the capability of the entry-level apprentices and to involve businesses early.
“Some of our larger businesses who regularly recruit apprentices know that to get the best candidates they need to commence their apprenticeship entry level programmes for starting in September 2025 now in January and February so have already started their campaigns and these companies have tended to develop excellent relationships with colleges locally too.
“So, one size does not fit all and that can be great, because it means that there are opportunities available for a wider pool of the labour market, for those who may have reskilled, such as veterans or returners to work, or those looking to enter the sector with cross-sector core skills that can bring other benefits to the business.
“I think there needs to be a balancing act between businesses and colleges and where businesses continue to be educated to the potential of some amazing apprentices no matter what their age and that the apprenticeship scheme perhaps becomes a more agile and flexible for businesses to use it to their advantage.”
Gloucestershire College has a team ready in place to welcome businesses, explain how the process works, do the paperwork for them and work up a shortlist of candidates.
Raikes reported as much in April last year when the college joined forces with CyNam and South West Apprenticeship Company (SWAC) to launch Tech Talent Lab, aimed at helping SMEs and startups maximise the benefits of IT and cyber apprenticeships.
Funding for the initiative came from the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
You can read more about that here: Gloucestershire wins Government investment to create tech jobs
And you can contact the Gloucestershire College’s business-facing team click here and scroll down.