Work coach helped John get a new job

John Cunningham had no up-to-date skills and was lacking in confidence before he was put into contact with work coach Margaret Walker at Dumbarton Jobcentre Plus.

The Clydebank resident was then introduced to Working 4U, a West Dunbartonshire Council run service to help support those seeking employment.

After taking part in a IT course, Mr Cunningham noticed several security vacancies whilst job searching - however lacked the appropriate qualifications in order to apply.

With the support of his work coach and the Working 4U team, Mr Cunningham decided to take on a week-long SIA course run by Instant Services.

This then allowed him to gain his SIA badge, which was paid for by the Department of Work and Pensions Flexible Support Fund through the Jobcentre.

Thanks to these new qualifications, Mr Cunningham is now settling into his new role with Premier Security that he started on April 19.

He joins the 2.68 million people in employment in Scotland, with 23,000 more people now in work compared to last year and the unemployment rate at a record low of 3.2 per cent.

He said: “I would like to thank the Jobcentre staff for helping me find employment – they do a fantastic job. I would like to thank Margaret Walker for all her help and encouragement.”