Data Cluster
The data community
There are now over 300 data companies based in Scotland, a figure growing at over 12% per year, and an even larger base of professionals working in industry and academia.
ScotlandIS Data will work with the community to develop communications and relevant events to ensure that data focused businesses in Scotland have:
- Access to public and private sector organisations requiring products and specialist services
- Opportunities to interact and work with each other
- Interaction with industry and academia
- An understanding of what is available through innovation centres, accelerator programmes and grants
- Links to the broader UK ecosystem
ScotlandIS will act as the primary interface into the wide range of other UK and Scottish based organisations active in the data space. This will ensure the needs and capabilities of the community are properly articulated and represented. The cluster will be member led with an active steering group driving the strategy, plans and events programme.
Skills and Academia
Growth
ScotlandIS Data, working with academia and the public sector, want to ensure that data businesses in Scotland fully exploit the economic growth opportunities of the increasing demand for data driven goods and services.
We will provide a platform where organisations requiring solutions can network with companies providing software and services. We will help those companies network together, understand each other’s capabilities and find opportunities to work together.
We will offer help in accessing innovation centres, accelerator programmes and grants available through the economic development agencies.
Already there are over 300 data businesses who call Scotland home, the opportunities to develop your business in Scotland have never been greater – and we can help.
Talent
Community development and sectoral growth can only be supported and maintained by having the right skills available in sufficient numbers.
As part of the Data Driven Innovation initiative, the University of Edinburgh will play a pivotal role in strengthening our graduates’ skills. Over a decade, the university and its partners will train 100,000 people in the application of data across major sectors, ensuring Scotland has a future-proof workforce who are ready to face any challenge. A key component to this is the university’s School of Informatics, the largest European centre of its kind with over 450 academic and research staff and 850 students. It has a strong talent pool, educating undergraduate and postgraduate students via a wide range of courses including artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computational linguistics, computer science and software engineering.
Our digital technologies industry has a highly skilled workforce but we need many more people to join the growing businesses across the sector. Encouraging an increasing number to pursue careers in technology is essential.
ScotlandIS leads the campaign for skills for our industry, helping to build the future talent pipeline. Working with partners across industry and the public sector we have helped with the development of the ICT & Digital Technologies Skills Investment Plan, published in 2014. This provides a long-term plan to tackle a number of key issues:
Working with partners across industry and the public sector we have helped with the development of the ICT & Digital Technologies Skills Investment Plan, published in 2014. This provides a long-term plan to tackle a number of key issues:
- Sector attractiveness – to promote the breadth of interesting highly paid roles to young people, and career changers,
- Ensuring the education system meets industries needs including:
- Revitalising the teaching of computing and digital technologies at schools, to develop a stronger pipeline of young people choosing digital technologies careers, and courses at apprentice, college and university level.
- Delivering the e-Placement Scotland programme in partnership with our universities to give students valuable real work experience before they qualify.
- Ensuring the development of high-level specialist skills through our work with innovation centres such as DataLab.
- Broadening access routes into the industry through a wider range of apprenticeships, and new initiatives such as the new digital skills academy, CodeClan established by ScotlandIS.
- Tackling the gender imbalance.
- A multicultural workforce.
The digital technologies industry is truly global, serving markets around the world. To design and build products and services for global citizens and businesses our industry benefits from a diverse workforce.
ScotlandIS initiatives and projects
ePlacement Scotland has created over 1,800 placement opportunities.
Set up in 2010, the programme matches firms in the technology sector with students and helps to address the skills shortage in the sector and improve student employability.
CodeClan plays a leading role in accelerating Scotland’s progress in building a high-performing digital economy.
Its role is to retrain and reskill ambitious and motivated people to enter the digital world
Digital Xtra Fund is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) that supports the delivery of extra-curricular computing and digital activities to young people, aged 16 and under, across Scotland.
It specifically seeks to improve participation of girls and underrepresented groups in digital, dispel negative perceptions about computing science and promote digital as an attractive career path.
To meet the increasing demand for people with world class skills in computing and the pace of change within the industry.
It is essential that our colleges and universities ensure college leavers and graduates have the right blend of technical and interpersonal skills for the modern workforce.
Do you have a data challenge? Search our directory of companies based in Scotland who work in this area and find just the person or company to help you.
If you’re not sure what type of data company can help you, please take a look here to find out the definitions of each of our search criteria.
Members of ScotlandIS are highlighted with a member ribbon and you can also spot those who have gained additional Cyber Essentials certification by looking in the top right hand corner of each entry.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact us
Think you should be listed?
Click on the button below to add your company for free today.
Companies must have a base in Scotland to be added to the directory and provide stand alone data services, solutions or products.
Ross Murray
Membership Liaison Officer
David Ferguson
Head of ScotlandIS Data
Speak to one of our team today
To find out more about our membership packages and to tell us more about your business
01506 472 200
ross.murray@soadonefnet.com