SDS is undertaking a programme of stakeholder engagement on behalf of the Scottish Government to progress work on the next phase of Foundation Apprenticeships.   The first phase of this engagement is focused on employers and industry given the underpinning role they have with shaping and delivering FAs.

We are hosting a series of FA Consultation Workshops for employers.  Details on the workshops are below and please sign up to one of them to ensure your employer voice is captured.

An afternoon for commercial leaders preparing their 2027 plans. We look at sales performance, pay and incentive design, and the technology that actually supports growth, with practical guidance you can take straight into your planning cycle.

Plan with confidence – Set your 2027 sales performance and pay approach before the planning window closes.

Two expert perspectives – Sales Excellence Advisors and RevEng Consulting share what is working across their client base.

A setting built for conversation – A small group at Gleneagles Townhouse, so every attendee can contribute and ask questions.

What you will gain

A focused session for leaders who need their 2027 commercial plan to hold up under scrutiny.

• A practical planning framework for your 2027 sales performance cycle
• Clear guidance on pay and incentive design under current market pressures
• An honest view of which sales technologies are worth investing in
• Peer benchmarking with commercial leaders across Scotland and the UK

Scotland’s disruption is underway. The question is: who’s steering it?

SEMTSF 2026 doesn’t discuss inclusion, it demonstrates it. Five days. Four locations. Hundreds of Scotland’s brightest ethnic minority leaders, innovators, and changemakers shaping what comes next.

Find out more via the ‘Learn More’ link below.

Join our series of events, ScotlandIS Tech Tidbits, on the first Tuesday of every month!

These 30 minute webinars will be short, informative sessions on a variety of topics, from exporting to cybersecurity, cloud computing to procurement, and many more.

Each event will feature a ScotlandIS member offering their expert insights and advice on the topic in hand, however you do not need to be a member to attend these talks.

For October, we’ll be joined by ScotlandIS member Systal.

Artificial Intelligence has exploded in popularity in the last few years. Whilst organisations are keen to reap the benefits it can provide, they are often blind to the risks. This Tech TidBit will explore:

• AI in organisations: in theory and in practice
• AI strengths and weaknesses – how they are often overlooked
• How AI is both hindering and helping organisational security, operational activities, and compliance
• How AI is both helping and hindering digital investigations, eDiscovery and evidential integrity

The Fintech Summit is Scotland’s largest annual gathering of financial technology leaders, and has established itself as the must-attend event for stakeholders in the sector.

The conference will explore technological innovation across the industry, from developments in leading FS institutions, to the disruptive innovators within the challenger and start-up community that are reshaping the Financial Services market. The programme will consider the key shifts in regulation, investment, and technology, and discuss how they will impact the future evolution of the sector.

The Summit is the official flagship event of the Scotland Fintech Festival, and is free to attend for delegates working for Financial Services and FinTech companies.

The Ministry of Defence’s National Armaments International team invites expressions of interest from SMEs in the defence, dual-use and aerospace sectors to attend an SME Surgery in Glasgow.

What to expect

• Practical guidance for SMEs looking to access international defence and security opportunities.
• Insight from market-specific desk officers on priority regions, overseas opportunities and how SMEs can engage effectively.
• Advice from capability experts on how products and services may align with MOD and international customer requirements.
• Information from export finance providers on support available to help SMEs grow and deliver internationally.
• Guidance from the Export Control Joint Unit on export licensing and compliance considerations.
• Opportunities to connect with government stakeholders and other SMEs operating in the defence, dual-use and aerospace sectors

Places are limited. Click the ‘Learn More’ link below to register your interest in attending.

A Nightmare Scenario?

In today’s relentless cyber landscape, it’s not a matter of if, but when a critical attack will strike your your company’s IT environment. Step into our immersive, live cyberattack simulation on a fictional company, where your every decision has profound consequences.

These aren’t just numbers – they’re our reality.

• $4.44M average global financial impact of a data breach in 2025, as AI and automation helped reduce costs by 9% year over year.
• The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded 1,008,597 complaints with $20.9B in reported losses, up from $16.6B the previous year.
• 43% of UK businesses and 30% of charities identified a cyber security breach or attack in the past 12 months, equating to approximately 612,000 UK businesses affected.
• The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre now manages around four nationally significant cyber incidents every week, with state-backed threats from Russia, China and Iran identified as the most serious.

Experience The Cyber Attack

Live Cyber Recovery Scenario

You’ll play a pivotal role in the unfolding crisis, experiencing the pressures and strategic choices that directly impact a company’s data recovery, reputation, and future when it matters most.

Join SAXIS, SysGroup and Rubrik at our Zero Hour event and…

Live the attack: Navigate a full-scale cyber attack simulation and witness the real-time impact of your decisions.

Master the crisis: Learn how different variations of operational decisions are used to resolve the incident and see how these actions could affect other parts of the company.

Walk away with confidence: Build actionable and immediate strategies based upon what you have experienced in the session – use this to fortify your defences and ensure business continuity at your company.

When Zero Hour inevitably arrives, how prepared will you truly be? Don’t wait to find out.

The biggest cyber security festival in the North is back!

Now in its 9th year, CyberFest is a month-long celebration showcasing the North East’s cyber and AI excellence. Taking place across the North East, its mission is to connect, educate, and empower the region’s digital ecosystem through high-impact events and community collaboration. Throughout October, the festival will bring together the leading experts across Space, Defence, Energy, AI, and Manufacturing to showcase the power of cross-sector collaboration.

Key statistics

● Meet new people: 1,000+ CyberFest attendees last year

● Gain business opportunities: 600+ businesses in CyberNorth’s networks

● Put your business in front of a large social media network: 5,200+ followers on CyberNorth’s LinkedIn

What is the Community Conference

This year the Community Conference is focused on putting the spotlight on cyber security in frontier technology. We’ll be hearing from local, national, international, and government speakers from a number of different perspectives across the sector’s most pressing topics.

We’re also bringing cyber, space and defence clusters, businesses, and professionals from around the nation together to connect, network and engage with the North East cyber security and AI industry, and to showcase what we have to offer in the region.

In the afternoon, attendees will also be invited to participate in collaborative workshops across a variety of disciplines. Conference attendees gain free access to afternoon sessions.

The tracks include Space, Defence, AI, Advanced Manufacturing and Energy.

Ready to unlock new opportunities across key sectors in the North East? Put Monday 19th October in the diary.

This introductory webinar will explore how Innovate UK Business Connect supports innovators at different stages of their journey, from exploring an idea and developing a prototype through to finding customers and preparing for growth.

Attendees will hear directly from founders who have benefited from our support and learn more about the expertise, networks, connections and opportunities available through Innovate UK Business Connect.

Date: 19 October
Time: 13:00-14:00
Location: Online

Speakers

• Fran McIntyre, Managing Director, Innovate UK Business Connect
• David Crole, Associate Director of Networks, Innovate UK Business Connect
• Phoebe Kay, Stakeholder Relationship Lead, Innovate UK Business Connect
• Jamie Tong, CEO, Scannetix
• Maryna Kuzmenko, CEO & Co-Founder, Petiole