Why Upskilling can’t wait: Building Smarter Skills for a Smarter Financial Future

Q&A With Christine Sinclair

Programme Director, Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL), University of Strathclyde 

Financial services is undergoing one of the most significant periods of change in decades. Technology is advancing at pace, new regulations are emerging, and organisations of every size are wrestling with the skills needed to keep up. The Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) was created as a catalyst to help the sector respond, to support better outcomes for consumers, strengthen the industry, and enable fintech entrepreneurs to innovate with confidence. 

Central to this mission is a progressive skills development programme delivered in partnership with the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. Together, they’re building a portfolio of Microcredentials (which gain academic credits), short courses and executive education that help people across financial services understand, adopt and apply new technologies responsibly and effectively.

Christine Sinclair, Programme Director, FRIL, University of Strathclyde 

Here, Christine Sinclair, Programme Director for FRIL, explains why this work matters, and why now is the time to invest in the future skills of the sector. 

Q 1 – Hello Christine, let’s start with the big questions first… what challenge are you addressing here, and why does this matter? 

A 1- When you look across financial services, the message is the same everywhere: the pace of technological change is relentless, and people and industry need to keep up. The biggest example right now is generative AI. There’s a real desire to understand it, but also a lot of uncertainty. 

When you look at the evidence around AI adoption, the barriers are strikingly consistent. Many organisations hold back because they don’t have the skills or confidence to implement it safely. They don’t fully understand the risks, or they’re concerned about data management and governance. A lot of this is driven by  the hype cycle, which can be overwhelming. 

So the challenge we’re addressing is simple but vital: helping people develop the skills they need to adopt new technologies responsibly, whether that’s AI, data, digital transformation or ESG reporting. And what we’re doing is demand-led,  we’re not creating courses and hoping people want them. We’re listening closely to what financial services and fintechs tell us they need. 

Interestingly, the needs differ. Fintechs tend to be highly technical but often need more support with leadership, negotiation and change management. Larger financial institutions have deep organisational knowledge, but they often need help with the technical understanding. So it’s about supporting both sides, and helping both work together… 

…and it’s all really important because with the speed of change, the biggest risk is to do nothing. 

Q 2 – Who are the courses for? 

A 2 – They’re for anyone in financial services,  from credit unions to fintechs and large institutions to board-level executives. 

A lot of participants join because they want to refresh their own skills. Others are sent by employers who know they need to build capability quickly. And we’re seeing more early-career professionals who want to understand the fundamentals of digital transformation or AI as they move into new roles.  

What’s important is that the courses meet people where they are. You don’t need a technical background. You just need curiosity and a willingness to learn. 

As a result of the success of the programmes developed for financial services, we’ve also welcomed people from energy and health sectors where the challenges are very similar. 

Q 3 – What’s unique about this particular skills offering? 

A 3 – The comprehensiveness. There are plenty of short “how to prompt engineer” or “what is GenAI” sessions out there, but they tend to cover only one slice of the picture. FRIL’s courses build from fundamentals all the way through to practical application in financial services. 

For example, our AI microcredentials are designed to allow learners to understand and engage with AI in a structured and progressive manner. Focussing on core concepts and techniques, such as machine learning and large language models,  but also, cover risk, governance and data science, and communication skills, whilst including real industry use cases which demonstrate practical application. For executives, we even include topics such as decision-making through AI driving business insights in the boardroom, AI Governance and compliance, as well as AI in Enterprise Risk Management and developing strategies to implement and scale GenAI. 

Everything is designed to be flexible and accessible. You can learn in your own time, supported by lecturers who track your engagement and are available when you need help. It’s comprehensive without being overwhelming. 

Q 4 – What kind of courses are currently being offered? 

A 5 – We’ve developed microcredentials in Digital Transformation, ESG for Executives, and a full AI literacy suite, from beginner to advanced, plus an executive-level course. And there are programmes in AI & RegTech, and ESG Leadership. 

We originally planned to deliver two microcredentials. We’ve delivered ten due to demand. Seven at Strathclyde, two at Glasgow, and one short course through the UK Government’s Help to Grow programme at Strathclyde. Our microcredentials are accredited and can stack towards a postgraduate qualification, so learners build credits over time. 

For those who don’t wish to earn credits, we are now looking at awarding digital badges so learners can showcase their acquired skills on LinkedIn or their CV. 

Q 5 – What format do the courses take? 

A 5 – In general, course delivery is blended. Each week, participants complete short online lectures, which are no more than 15 minutes each. This, along with reading and other practical activities helps them apply what they’ve learned and typically brings the total up to around two to three hours per week. 

We run online inductions, drop-in webinars and a final in-person consolidation session on campus. That’s where the learning community really comes together. Everyone arrives with the same foundation and can share what’s worked in their own organisations. 

Our blended delivery provides a safe space to learn at your own pace and without judgement.

Q 6 – Can you share a story of someone who’s been on a course, and the impact it’s had? 

A 6 – One participant told us he’d never been to college or university. He came straight into work and never had the opportunity to study formally. He was the first person in his family to ever take a university course, and it was our Digital Transformation programme. 

Something clicked for him. After completing the course, he asked what else he could do. He’s now enrolled on a graduate apprenticeship degree. Another participant has gone on to apply for an MBA. So these short courses aren’t just about skills, they can genuinely spark lifelong learning. 

Short courses are powerful…they can change the course of someone’s career.

Q 7 – How does FRIL create the ‘engine’ that drives these skills programmes? 

A 7 – Our skills work is tightly linked to the Research and Innovation strands of FRIL. The research teams produce white papers, and we analyse common themes. We attend FRIL’s Innovation Calls, listening to pitches from fintechs proposing solutions to challenges highlighted by industry partners. That’s where you hear the real issues, things like: AI, data, legacy systems, regulatory change. 

We also have a skills subgroup with finance industry representatives who act as a sounding board and help us to shape course priorities. Everything is demand-led, grounded in industry conversations, networking and skills gap analysis. We’re supporting a sector that contributes hugely to Scotland’s economy, and we want to get this right.

We’re not just creating courses, we’re listening to what the sector is telling us it needs.

Q 8 – How can what we’re doing here influence learnings across other sectors? 

A 8 – While the focus here is financial services, the content isn’t always sector-specific, which means we can swap out case studies to fit different industries. We’re already seeing learners from energy and health joining our courses. Because the pace of change is constant everywhere, the need for digital and AI literacy applies just as much outside financial services. 

And the short video-based model means we can keep content fresh. If something changes in AI, which it does daily,  we can re-record a section quickly. 

Q 9 – While this might be our final question today, this really is just the beginning. What might we expect to come? 

A 9 Visibility is a big focus. We’re launching the FRIL Skills Academy, which brings everything together including upskilling, reskilling, executive education, and early-career engagement. It will guide people through learning pathways based on their needs, offer microcredentials, and connect with the student FinTech societies across Strathclyde and Glasgow. There will also be the opportunity to engage with either University to gain support for projects, knowledge transfer partnerships and PhD@Work. 

Longer term, we want to work more closely with colleges to support talent pipelines, widen access and create opportunities for people who wouldn’t normally enter higher education. We’re also exploring mentoring programmes, internships guest lectures and masterclasses.  

This is about us all embracing the future together. When you engage with the universities through FRIL you’re part of a learning community for the long term. 

What next?  

If you’d like to find out more about FRIL’s skills programmes, please visit: 

• Financial Regulation Innovation Lab (FRIL) – Skills development.
  
• 10‑credit Online Microcredentials from the University of Glasgow.

The FRIL Skills Academy will be launched at the end of January 2026. 

About FRIL

The project is part of the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator programme, funded through Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation. The Innovation Accelerator programme is investing £130 million in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters, including the Glasgow City Region.

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