1284 Communications supported with comms for the high-profile launch of the East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster’s (EMCSC) White Paper at Westminster.

Supporting promotion of the White Paper has given 1284 a role in the urgent national conversation about cyber jobs, skills, and leadership.

The Westminster event, held at Portcullis House and backed by the APPG for Cyber Innovation, brought together leading figures from government, industry, and academia, including Dan Aldridge MP and EMCSC founder and the paper’s author Dr Ismini Vasileiou. 

The new White Paper, Cyber Workforce of the Future: Why the UK Needs a Skills Taxonomy Now, spotlights a critical challenge: the UK’s patchwork approach to training and recognising cyber professionals could leave businesses exposed unless businesses unite around a common standard.​

1284’s Account Executive Amy Orton joined delegates in London on October 27. They included representatives of De Montfort University, DSIT, techUK, UK Cyber Security Council, NCSC, UKC3 and more.

The group discussed workforce barriers like fragmented career paths, limited entry-level opportunities, capacity issues, and the urgent need for government leadership. 

Together, the group agreed that a robust professional register is central to tackling skills gaps and building an accountable, future-ready cyber workforce.

EMCSC founder Dr Ismini Vasileiou chaired the discussion, saying: “It was encouraging to have an open and honest conversation, not just around the issues within the industry but also around barriers to addressing them.

“Collaboration is key and so to lead the conversation and hear industry leaders agree on a route forward feels like real progress.

“Capitalising on the current relevance of cyber security and seizing these opportunities are things we all agreed on - and with the backing of Dan and the APPG, I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”

Dan Aldridge MP, Chair, APPG for Cyber Innovation, added: “We need to embark on a national mission when it comes to cyber security.

"Threat proliferation is a real issue and the general public do not always understand the threat proliferation that we have. 

"This paper, and discussions we have had today, feed into what needs to happen next to bolster cyber security for everyone. 

"There's an opportunity over the next 12 months to raise the game, get other MPs involved and make cyber security part of the national conversation."

The White Paper, published earlier this year, recommends that Government should:

• Establish a DSIT-led taskforce to co-create a UK Cyber Skills Taxonomy
• Establish a national delivery body to govern the taxonomy
• Incentivise employer adoption of standardised, skills-based recruitment
• Align education and career pathways to real-world cyber roles
• Scale regional skills alignment through a National Implementation Framework.

George Oliver, Managing Director of 1284 Communications, said: “We are increasingly being asked to support with comms on policy launches and in public-private settings. It’s something we are well-placed to support with, based on previous work in newsrooms around the East Midlands and across the UK.

“1284 has been working with EMCSC and UKC3 for some time now, promoting clear career structures, skills needs, and work being done to build bridges between education and industry to help develop the cyber security talent of tomorrow.”

George was previously the Editor of the Leicester Mercury, while Amy was the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter for Leicestershire, delivering local government reporting covering Leicestershire County Council and other local authorities.