Government launches programme to equip senior leaders with digital skills 

The Scottish Government has launched a new programme to equip senior leaders with the digital skills needed to transform their organisations.

Leading in a Digital World is a new week-long course aimed at providing civil servants with skills relating to public sector transformation, service design and agile, digital culture and system leadership.

The programme is being launched by business minister Ivan McKee and will bring together practitioners and executives from across the public and third sectors to share practical use cases and examples. 

Lesley Fraser, director general corporate, Scottish Government, said in a blog post: “As we prepare ourselves and our organisations for a future living with Covid, we recognise that our customers need our digital leadership in all that we do and for all of our people. The future of Scotland as a thriving digital nation, as illustrated in the Digital Strategy A changing nation: how Scotland will thrive in a digital world relies on everyone in our organisation being equipped with the best possible learning to empower them to do their job effectively and with confidence.

“The pandemic has escalated the pace and scale of digital transformation and this will only continue in the coming months and years. We want to be confident that Scotland is in a strong position to meet the challenges and realise the opportunities that this presents, and to further our reputation as an inclusive and outward-looking digital nation. The Leading in a Digital World programme, with its mixture of academic input, real world insight and learning from digital leaders, will help you ensure that you and your teams are well equipped to serve your customers and communities, now and in the future.”

The six-day programme commences on March 15 and 16 with two days of in-person learning at a venue in Edinburgh followed by dates on 5 April (online), 26 April (online), 17 May (in person) and 18 May (in person).

Organised by the Scottish Digital Academy, the course was previously titled Digital Champions and is free to attend for senior leaders within the Scottish public or third sector, leading organisational change or transformation and/or with responsibility for digital services and products.

For details visit https://digitalacademy.gov.scot/applications-invited-for-leading-in-a-digital-world/