North Ayrshire first in Scotland for cyber programme
Caley Youth Hub at Ardeer Community Centre in Stevenston welcomed special guests and elected members this week as part of a Cyber Explorers celebration.
Taking place on Friday 21 March, the young people’s event saw a series of digital workshops being run as part of a national Cyber Explorers youth work programme.
Pupils from Auchenharvie, Ardrossan, Garnock Campus, Greenwood, Largs, Lockhart and St Matthew's academies attended to further their digital skills via the programme developed by the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The new Cyber Explorers initiative is an online learning platform to teach cyber skills, with the aim of ensuring a steady stream of future talent in the cyber security sector.
Although already rolled out to learners in England, the programme is now underway in Scotland and North Ayrshire Council is delighted to announce that we are the very first Scottish local authority to deliver Cyber Explorers for pupils aged 11-14 years old.
Quote: Cyber security skills help us all stay safe online and can open doors to exciting opportunities for children and young people. I encourage children and young people in North Ayrshire to take the opportunity to learn cyber security skills through the Cyber Explorers programme – the skills they will develop will help in school, in future jobs, and in many areas of everyday life.
Quote from: Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
North Ayrshire's Provost Anthea Dickson and council officials were delighted to welcome representatives from Education Scotland to the celebration and training event at Ardeer Community Centre.
Delivered by a Cyber Youth Worker and part of the of the council’s wider Community Learning and Development (CLD) strategy, 417 young people from North Ayrshire are registered and working through the course with 132 fully completed the cyber challenges and missions. Once undertaken, pupils gain an accredited SCQF 4 on completion of challenges and SCQF 5 on completion of missions.
The delivery of Cyber Explorers is a brilliant example of how the council’s Community Learning and Development team – in this case North Ayrshire Youth Services – are supporting young people.
The programme is being delivered to young people beyond traditional classrooms so that they can gain confidence, thrive in positive group settings and build their resilience to enhance their capacity to consider risk, make informed decisions and take control of their future career prospects in an increasingly digital world.
Part of the government’s ambition to develop cyber skills identified in the National Cyber Strategy, Cyber Explorers is aimed at equipping young people with digital awareness and skills.
The programme introduces recruits to key security concepts, like open-source intelligence, digital forensics and social engineering. It also teaches students how digital, computing and cyber skills are integral to a range of career paths, including social media content creation, sports technology and medical research.
Depute Leader and Cabinet Member for Education and Young People, Shaun Macaulay said: “We are delighted to officially announce North Ayrshire as the first local authority in Scotland to deliver the Cyber Explorers programme.
“From cyber security, setting strong passwords, encryption, coding and staying safe online, the programme is a fun and informative course that digitally upskills our young recruits.
“It is a brilliant example of how we are working closely with partner organisations to meet the needs of the National Digital Strategy and ready the next generation to lead the way when it comes to cyber skills and careers in the years to come.
“Those who have taken part are energised and most importantly knowledgeable now of the cyber landscape and not only the dangers it poses but also the wealth of opportunities it can bring.
“Feedback has been excellent and more exciting Cyber Explorers developments are on the horizon for the young people taking part including an interactive cyber tour via our Mobile Youth Centre across our six localities and a two-day residential trip to Arran Outdoors Centre for some of the cyber enthusiasts.”
Gillian Hamilton, Chief Executive of Education Scotland, added: “Digital skills are crucial for the future success of our children and young people who face a rapidly evolving digital world. It’s essential that we empower and support all learners to take full advantage of the opportunities this presents.
“Cyber Explorers, and the CyberFirst programme, inspire and encourage young people to learn about how they can boost their cyber skills and it is fantastic to see such rich engagement and enthusiasm for computing science in our schools.”
Stay tuned for more news on the Cyber Explorers in May 2025 and other impactful youth work across our localities by following @NAYouthServices on Facebook and X.
See the programme in action on the cyber explorers website.
Published: 21 March 2025