Friday October 9th 2026
See It Be It panel
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Girls from Newbattle High School have been given an insight into the wide range of careers available in cybersecurity at an event aimed at encouraging more young women to consider working in the sector.
The pupils attended the third See It Be It conference, organised by Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, where they met cyber professionals, employers, educators and students to learn about different routes into the industry.
Held last Friday, the event aimed to challenge misconceptions about cybersecurity and show young women that careers in the sector extend far beyond computer coding.
Speakers shared their experiences of working across a range of fields, including computer science, software engineering, the armed forces, recruitment and data analysis.
Pupils also heard how skills such as communication, curiosity, problem-solving, adaptability and resilience are valued alongside technical expertise.
The conference comes as the cybersecurity sector looks to attract new talent, with women accounting for just 16% of cyber roles in the UK, according to the UK Government’s 2026 cyber security skills report.
Jude McCorry, chief executive of Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, said: “There is clearly no shortage of initial interest in technology among girls and young women. The challenge is making sure they can see where that interest could take them.
“Cybersecurity is much broader than many young people imagine. It needs technical specialists, but it also needs great communicators, problem-solvers and people who are simply curious about how things work.
“Bringing pupils together with people already working in the sector allows them to see those possibilities for themselves. If a young person leaves See It Be It thinking, ‘I didn’t know I could do that’, then we’ve started to break down one of the barriers holding our industry back.”
The Newbattle pupils also heard about national initiatives designed to encourage more girls to explore careers in technology.
Keynote speaker Andrew Elliot, deputy director at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, discussed the importance of sparking girls’ interest in cybersecurity and highlighted the launch of the TechFirst Girls Competition.
The competition is part of the Government’s TechFirst programme, previously known as CyberFirst.
Organisers also stressed the role employers and professionals can play in opening up opportunities for young people.
Those already working in the sector were encouraged to connect with schools, offer work experience, attend careers events, answer pupils’ questions and introduce young people to others working in the industry.
Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland hopes the connections will help more pupils across the country discover the range of careers available and encourage more young women to see themselves as part of Scotland’s future cybersecurity workforce.
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