College secures funding to build cyber resilience in West Lothian

This comes hot on the heels of CyberDrive which the college launched with great success earlier this year to deliver hands-on workshops to pupils in West Lothian secondary schools to accelerate the uptake of cyber skills.

Now, thanks to the CyberScotland Partnership, the college has received funding for two proposals to extend CyberDrive. These are funded from a £500,000 fund aimed at creating a digitally secure and resilient country and it is supporting 16 projects in Scotland, including the two in West Lothian.

The college will work with West Lothian Council to develop cyber resilience in regeneration areas, in particular residents whose first language is not English and people facing significant barriers to learning. Workshops will equip 250 people with the knowledge and skills to engage in the digital world safely and securely, increasing their overall digital confidence and independence. 

In partnership with West Lothian Council, The Prince’s Trust and Donaldson’s School, the college will design and deliver a six-week course to provide an introduction into cyber security and resilience for young people who have disengaged from school education or are facing multiple barriers to learning, as well as for adults who are long-term unemployed.

Diane Mitchell, Director of the Computing faculty at West Lothian College, said: “We are delighted that our college is leading the charge to build a digitally secure and resilient Scotland thanks to the CyberScotland Partnership funding initiative. With two successful proposals securing vital funding from the shared £500,000 fund, we're proud to be at the forefront of this transformative journey, working hand in hand with our valued partners."

Andrew McGuire, Executive Councillor for Education at West Lothian Council, Andrew McGuire added: “We are delighted that West Lothian College has secured this significant funding. The council is supporting the college to deliver this project by referring our adult learners in to the programme to benefit from the specialist and high-quality training that will be provided.

“It is an exciting partnership that will also lead to the upskilling of Adult Learning tutors.”