Scotland’s Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) has launched a new skills and education platform designed to address the growing skills gaps across the fintech ecosystem and support the career development of financial and professional services workers.

The FRIL Skills Academy will focus on upskilling, reskilling, executive education, and early-career engagement, offering short courses, executive education, employer‑driven microcredentials, and links to FRIL’s academic partners at the Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow.

Industry partners will gain access to tailored learning pathways, which FRIL said will help develop a pipeline of skilled professionals trained on real regulatory and technological challenges.

Launching today (30 Jan), and available on a 24/7 virtual platform, the academy will also bring in industry professionals to co‑create content, deliver guest lectures, and take part in knowledge‑exchange events, offering practical experience for learners’ professional development.

“As Scotland continues to lead in fintech and digital innovation, the FRIL Skills Academy sets a new benchmark for how academia and industry partner at pace,” said Aleks Tomczyk, chief executive of FinTech Scotland.

“As the first initiative of its kind in UK higher education, it will provide professionals with practical, employer-driven skills across AI, data and regulation, strengthening our talent pipeline and competitiveness.”

FRIL said that the skills academy has been created in response to the rapid acceleration of technological change within financial services, especially in areas such as AI, data quality, and regulatory compliance. 

Previous research has found a dearth of educational support around technology for those working in financial services, with a report from Esendex last year finding that of 13,800 courses available in the sector, just 1,150 focused on digital skills – a meagre one in twelve, despite the industry’s hyper focus on AI and automation.

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North of the border, research from FinTech Scotland has found that only 21% of Scottish fintechs feel equipped with the right digital skills for the future, a problem those behind FRIL’s academy say the initiative will be well placed to address.

“This is an important development in our commitment to executive education focused on what matters to our entrepreneurial and industrial partners: fresh skills, leadership development, and a commitment to making Scotland and the UK a more productive, innovative and flourishing environment in which founders want to start, grow and scale their businesses and towards which talent is attracted,” said Professor Eleanor Shaw, associate principal of Strathlcyde University.