Scotland Women in Technology (SWiT) will fund two new cohorts of The Data Lab’s Data and AI Leadership Programme in a bid to boost AI leadership skills among women working in the Scottish tech ecosystem.
The news is part of a wider multi-year partnership between SWiT and The Data Lab to create opportunities for early to mid-career women in data and AI across Scotland.
Over the next two years, SWiT will fund places for 40 women to participate in the course, which will be delivered through a blend of virtual and in-person sessions to extend the programme’s reach to participants across Scotland.
The Data Lab’s Data and AI Leadership Programme, delivered over 10 hours of facilitated training, covers key aspects of using data and AI for organisational benefit, focusing on readiness assessments, identifying AI opportunities, aligning strategies with goals and promoting responsible data leadership.
The 40 participants will take part in two cohorts in 2026 and 2027, where they will learn to develop and implement data and AI strategies. This will include planning and assessing current capabilities, and designing and implementing a data and AI strategy roadmap.
The first phase of the course will take place virtually, commencing in September 2026. The second phase of the programme will take place in-person, launching in February 2027.
Over the next two years, SWiT will also fund more than 30 places for women to attend DataFest, Scotland’s showcase of data and AI that attracts global speakers, industry leaders and practitioners from across sectors and industries.
“With the rise in AI, it is vital that opportunities are created to ensure everyone has a seat at the table when it comes to making AI decisions,” says Silka Patel, founder and chair of Scotland Women in Technology.
“It can be easy to overlook female tech talent, and as we saw from the latest Lovelace Report, there has been an exodus of women from the sector as a result. With a firm commitment to the Scottish tech ecosystem, we want to ensure that this stops by upskilling women in AI and ensuring these skills are not overlooked in the AI-era.”
