The HALO Scotland partners CGI for Kilmarnock regeneration
Urban regeneration firm HALO Scotland has partnered with global IT consultancy CGI to develop technologies that will provide young people and current workforces with the skills in cyber, digital, space technology, health and finance. The news comes as the latest in a series of initiatives based in Scotland involving consulting firms, as the country braces itself for Brexit.
As Scotland prepares for Brexit, the country is looking to make the most of its existing assets by regenerating a number of locations across the nation. The HALO Scotland Kilmarnock is one of four such developments planned for the UK. The HALO Kilmarnock is an innovative regeneration initiative located on the site of the former Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. It is being shaped as a multi-faceted brown-field regeneration that will create a unique urban park with a dynamic commercial, educational, cultural, leisure and lifestyle quarter.
In preparation for the project, HALO has partnered with Canada-headquartered CGI to develop technologies that will provide young people and current workforces in the area with the skills in cyber, digital, space technology, health and finance to needed to excel in tomorrow’s world – which may even include the need for space skills. The deal with CGI, a global IT services provider, will see the two entities work to create further employment opportunities at the Kilmarnock urban regeneration initiative.
One of CGI’s major areas of expertise is in the space industry. Steve Smart, Vice President of CGI in Scotland, will lead this element of the partnership, having played a key role in CGI’s UK Space, Defence and National & Cyber Security business where he worked directly with the European Space Agency (ESA). Smart also led the formation of CGI’s cyber security business, supporting clients in both the public and private sectors.
Look to the skies
The partnership between the pair is also hoped to enhance HALO’s employability initiatives for young people in Ayrshire by harnessing CGI’s technical expertise to focus on cyber and digital skills, supporting the proposed spaceport at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, while establishing and develop research and practical learning partnerships with education facilities. These include Glasgow Caledonian University and Ayrshire College with a particular focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.
Marie Macklin CBE, Founder and Executive Chair of the HALO Urban Regeneration Company, said of the partnership, “I am thrilled that CGI, with its extensive experience in the IT and space industry is joining us as part of the HALO project. The HALO will work collaboratively with CGI to support the Glasgow Prestwick Airport spaceport project as the UK, Scotland and, of course, Ayrshire takes significant strides in the space industry.”
Steve Smart, Vice President of CGI Scotland, added, “Regeneration of this nature, with the opportunities it brings for development and training in our industry, is hugely exciting and adds further to our commitment to Scotland. We very much look forward to collaborating with the team over the coming years and bringing our expertise to such an innovative project.”
Related: CGI opens office in Glasgow's technology and innovation zone.
