A new collaboration between the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland and Stellar Elevate aims to significantly enhance cyber resilience across Scottish organisations through an innovative, interactive training programme. The initiative, dubbed the "Cyber Security Culture Training Day," moves beyond traditional awareness methods, utilising practical learning and a unique 'Cyber Resilience Escape Challenge' to embed essential security behaviours within the workplace.
The partnership comes at a critical time, as cyber threats continue to escalate for UK businesses. Recent government data indicates that half of all UK businesses experienced some form of cyber attack in the last 12 months, a figure that rises to 70% for medium-sized enterprises and 74% for large corporations. In Scotland alone, police recorded an estimated 16,890 cyber-crimes in 2023-24, marking a 13% increase from the previous year and nearly tripling pre-pandemic levels. Such incidents carry a substantial financial burden, with the average cost of a significant cyber-attack for a UK business estimated at approximately £195,000, contributing to an annual national cost of £14.7 billion.
Phishing remains the most prevalent threat, reported by 84% of businesses and 83% of charities experiencing attacks. The pervasive nature of these threats underscores the critical need for a robust “human firewall” within organisations.
The new Cyber Security Culture Training Day, delivered through the Centre’s Cyber Skills Academy, addresses this by combining practical cybersecurity education with Stellar Elevate’s engaging, gamified escape room experience. Participants delve into everyday cyber risks such as phishing, password security, device protection, and incident reporting. They then apply this knowledge in an interactive challenge, solving scenarios involving common threats like phishing emails, ransomware, and business email compromise.
This experiential learning approach is designed to foster confidence and proactive decision-making. “Building a strong cyber culture isn’t about expecting every employee to become a cyber security expert. It’s about giving people the confidence to spot when something doesn’t look right, make good decisions and speak up,” stated Jude McCorry, CEO of the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland. She added, “This collaboration with Stellar Omada builds on a shared commitment to skills and social impact, while helping organisations give their people practical experience of dealing with the cyber risks they may encounter at work.”
Lyssa McLagan, Stellar Elevate Lead, emphasised the transformative potential of the partnership. “Collaborating with Jude and the dedicated team at the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland has been a fantastic experience. We are thrilled to launch this partnership, which aligns with our shared objective of transforming workplace risk awareness into an engaging, gamified and ‘safe-to-fail’ learning environment. Together, we look forward to empowering organisations and their people to develop essential skills, working alongside the Cyber and Fraud Centre to create a more secure digital future for Scotland.”
The effectiveness of gamified training in cybersecurity is well-documented, with research suggesting it often outperforms passive study by boosting engagement, retention, and the practical application of concepts. It creates a dynamic, goal-oriented learning environment with immediate feedback, allowing employees to learn from mistakes without real-world consequences.
Beyond proactive defence, businesses in the UK are also legally mandated to ensure staff are adequately trained in data protection. The UK GDPR, retained via the Data Protection Act 2018, requires organisations to implement appropriate measures to ensure compliance, with staff training identified by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a primary organisational measure. A failure to provide adequate training can result in increased fines in the event of a data breach.
Both organisations bring a strong social purpose to this venture. The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland operates as the country’s only cyber social enterprise, reinvesting any surplus generated from its professional services, training, and membership into initiatives that support wider cyber resilience across Scotland. This includes educational programmes, community projects, and the Cyber and Fraud Hub charity, which assists individuals who have fallen victim to cyber and fraud crimes. Stellar Elevate, the digital education arm of technology services firm Stellar Omada, is dedicated to closing the digital skills gap and inspiring the next generation of tech leaders, with an award-winning programme recognised for its impact on diversity.
The new programme can accommodate large groups and smaller teams, serving as a component of broader staff development, team-building days, or organisation-wide cyber awareness campaigns. This collaborative effort aims to tackle the persistent cyber skills gap in the UK, where nearly half of businesses report basic technical cybersecurity skills deficiencies.
The Cyber Security Culture Training Day is now available to organisations across Scotland, with customisation options to suit varying workforce sizes and environments.
