‘We’re helping some of the most

Marie Macklin CBE is founder and executive chair of HALO Urban Regeneration, which is managing a £63million project in Kilmarnock that will create opportunities through the Kickstart Scheme.

“This will be the first town centre net zero carbon energy project in Scotland – a Community Urban Village, which also forms part of the net zero pledge to create a new green economy wrapped around enterprise and innovation. We’re hoping to create 1,300 jobs and £200million for the Scottish economy,” says Marie.

“The scheme is life-changing in the sense that these areas – not just in Kilmarnock, but some of the most deprived communities in the country – are being helped, and we need to give these young people a road to recovery. I was that kid from a deprived community. We have some

amazing companies in our city centres, but young people in these challenging economic times – how do they get a job there?

“There was £1,500 allocated for each person for purpose-built training and that is enabling us to work with the top experts to create a cyber security course for young people who have disengaged from school, and really have no hope.

“Some of the people we are working with have great computer skills, but they don’t have the confidence. So this is offering a stepping stone into a whole new world – to help protect our country and to give them confidence to work with some of the best cyber security experts in the world.

“The uptake has been immense. We stress that you don’t need a qualification to do the course as there are too many kids who don’t engage in going to college because it is an establishment.”