Women in Cyber – Leading change in the public sector
September 2024 - March 2025
Supporting Organisations
Summary
This is a Scottish Government funded programme, delivered in a virtual setting by leadership development specialists Empowering You and focused specifically on aspiring female leaders working in InfoSec roles across all public and 3rd sector organisations in Scotland.
This unique virtual programme has been specifically designed to support and empower those who are unable to access traditional in-person leadership development opportunities due to barriers ranging from living in rural/remote locations, care commitments, mobility issues or other health considerations.
The programme is fully funded by the Scottish Government and is aimed at women whose roles include (or will include): information security/governance/assurance, data protection or cyber resilience. Our programmes celebrate diversity in each programme and we welcome applicants of any career stage or InfoSec discipline, including specialists, team leaders, project managers and senior leaders with an 'always learning' mindset.
Delivered over five months from September 2024 - March 2025, Women in Cyber - Leading Change in the Public Sector is non-technical in nature, bringing together a national community of 20 like-minded professionals who will embark on a leadership journey together, learning by experience and from each other.
Key Learning Points
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During the programme, participants will work individually and collaboratively to:
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Accelerate leadership potential and embrace a ‘leader as learner’ mindset
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Explore strategies to understand and engage more effectively with team members and stakeholders
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Understand and develop your own personal and authentic leadership skills
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Identify and respond to challenges within the team and organisation
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Leverage the combined expertise of peers to progress individual and collective growth
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Collaborate to deliver a team project for the women in cyber community
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Programme Modules
Segmented into four key modules which are addressed across six virtual group workshop sessions, individual coaching and a team community challenge, Women in Cyber - Leading Change in the Public Sector engages participants in a detailed exploration around the fundamentals of authentic leadership from self-awareness, collaboration and influence, through to optimising your personal impact.
Participant Experience
Women in Cyber - Leading Change in the Public Sector immerses participants in a multi-layered development journey designed to ensure maximum individual impact.
This programme is delivered in a virtual setting but with an experiential format, including group activities and action learning sets. Two professional leadership facilitators are used throughout our workshops to make sure we maintain high levels of personal engagement and diverse perspectives.
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Learning readiness - optional group call with Programme Leader
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Self-assessment
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7 x half-day virtual group workshops
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3 x 1 hour 1-1 coaching sessions working on individual developmental priorities
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Guest industry speakers sharing personal leadership stories
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Coaching workbook and questionnaire
- Team collaboration challenge for the Scotland cyber community
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A presentation to a wider community (virtual or face-to-face)
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On completion all participants will receive a certificate
Pricing & Enrolment
This is a free but selective programme. Participants will be selected by a panel based on applications received and to achieve a diverse representation of participants.
Please note that this programme is intended ONLY for individuals who would NOT be able to participate in programmes which were in-person due to reasons including (but not exclusive to) location/geography, care commitments, mobility issues or health considerations.
The programme is principally aimed at InfoSec professionals working within the Scottish public sector, including (but not exclusive to) local and central government bodies, the health sector, justice and further and higher education.
However, there is a recognition by Scottish Government of the need to support the 3rd/voluntary sector in developing their cyber resilience and to help in enabling this journey, a set number of places on the cohort has also been reserved for participants from not for profit organisations.
Each applicant will be required to complete an application form for consideration.
Places are limited to a maximum of 20
Workshop times/dates are as follows; you are expected to attend all workshops and graduation to complete the programme successfully.
Workshop Date Information:
1st Virtual Workshop
30th September 9.30am - 1pm
2nd Virtual Workshop
24th October, 9.30am - 1pm
3rd Virtual Workshop
13th November, 9.30am - 1pm
4th Virtual Workshop
28th November, 9.30am - 1pm
5th Virtual Workshop
11th December, 9.30am - 1pm
6th Virtual Workshop
23rd January, 9.30am - 1pm
7th Virtual Workshop
5th February, 9.30am - 1pm
It is an expectation that all participants will attend each workshop and complete each module in order to successfully graduate from the programme. Exceptional circumstances will be considered of course.
Due to the interactive and experiential nature of the workshops, participants will be expected to have their cameras activated throughout.
Team Challenge Presentation and Graduation: Wednesday 5th March 2025, 10am-2pm in Edinburgh
What Our Alumni Say
