Nurturing digital talent 

There has never been a better time to take digital roles in the public sector

Scotland is fast becoming a digital nation, with data and technology transforming how we live. That means the role of the Scottish Government is changing.

We are building a nation where digital technology enables everyone to progress. Every home, community, school, and business – big or small.

We are empowering everyone with digital connectivity. Making sure we all have access to vital public sector services, and strengthening our country’s cybersecurity.

Our people are shaping that future. The public sector is under pressure to deliver new digital services at a rate and pace that has never been seen before. The growing demand for digital services and skills is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Covid-19 pandemic has helped to drive this need, having accelerated the pace of digital transformation across all sectors.

We know that there is a wealth of digital talent across Scotland – but that talent is currently in huge demand.

While we might not be able to compete against the private sector on salaries, we are able to make an offer to our people that can not be matched elsewhere.

In the public sector our work is directly connected to the people of Scotland and is responsible for making a tangible difference to peoples’ lives and businesses. We do genuinely exciting and life-changing work that just is not available elsewhere.

Scotland truly is a changing nation. As we look towards recovery following the pandemic, while still maintaining a watchful eye on the dangers that Covid-19 presents, we must rely on accurate data and digital technologies to guide us.

Our services must meet the needs of the people of Scotland. This can only be achieved, when our workforce is representative of the people that it serves. This is not a “nice to have” – it is a business imperative. We are modelling new and inclusive ways of working in order to achieve this.

We have recently improved our recruitment processes, and by increasing attention on digital, data and technology roles, we have seen increased rates of applications; including a 95 per cent increase in the rate of applications from people declaring neurodiverse conditions.

Recruitment alone is not going to meet our needs. We know our talent exists across the entire public, private, and third sectors, and that is why the Scottish Government places an emphasis on working in partnership with others and in building communities that can identify and break down barriers and provide opportunities for learning, career switching, and reskilling.

Our approach needs the right people with the right skills to be in the right place at the right time. Our workforce needs to be empowered, competent and confident; able to do their jobs and to do them well. We nurture talent and provide resources and opportunities for those seeking to develop their knowledge and skills.

The Scottish Digital Academy facilitates high quality professional learning across a range of themes such as service design, cyber, agile, AI, data and cloud.

We have also developed clear development and progression pathways for our people, which helps us to attract and keep the people and skills we need across government and the wider public sector.

Alongside lifelong learning, we are also investing in our apprenticeship and early career talent, partnering with organisations like CodeClan.

We also need to try new things. A key success we have seen is the power of collaboration with other sectors through the First Minister’s Digital Fellowship Programme, welcoming leaders from industry to work with change makers at the highest levels of the government to tackle some of our nation’s biggest challenges.

We know we will not be able to deliver for the people of Scotland without a focus on our people. Now has never been a better time to join us, whether it is just for a year or to build a lifelong career.

Partner Content in association with the Scottish Digital Academy