North Lanarkshire employability service Routes to Work is celebrating a significant milestone – helping 20,000 people into work.
Clients, employers, staff, elected members and partners were welcomed to an event on June 17 by the interim Chairman of the Routes to Work Board John McDougall.
Mr McDougall said: “In the 20 years since Routes to Work was established, it has transformed the lives of 20,000 residents, which is a remarkable achievement.
“When someone comes to Routes to Work they start on a journey with many steps along the way, and the support they receive from so many people at every step is what makes this service so successful.
“And when you consider that it has cost an average of £2,100 to support each person into work over the last 20 years compared to £9,000 in benefits for a single unemployed person, Routes to Work is a highly cost effective service which saves the public purse millions of pounds a year.”
Routes to Work provides a free, confidential service helping unemployed residents in North Lanarkshire to access opportunities in employment, education and training. Staff provide advice, information, guidance and practical support to develop and enhance the employment prospects of clients.
The 20,000th person to be supported by Routes to Work is Catherine Scorgie, who attended the celebration event where her story was shared.
When Catherine first registered with Routes To Work in October 2019, she told her case worker Janice that her dream was to bake cakes!
With no real work experience and lacking in confidence, Catherine attended courses to build her self esteem and gain employability skills before successfully applying for a work placement to give her a taster of what work would be like.
In May 2021, Catherine was offered a full-time kitchen assistant post in the Royal Hotel in Crieff - a huge step as it involved moving to a new town and renting a flat.
The job was busy and Catherine experienced a range of duties around the kitchen, which she enjoyed.
This learning and experience allowed Catherine to apply for a new job at Crieff Hydro at the end of last year – she was successful and is now in her dream job as a pastry chef.
So she now spends her days baking those cakes she told Janice about way back at the start of her journey with Routes To Work.
“I’m still standing and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support from Routes To Work and Janice the whole way through,” Catherine said.
“A thousand thank yous for everything. It is an amazing feeling to be one of 20,000 people to be helped into work by Routes To Work - keep going strong into the future.”
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