Just one of the thousands of Fifers trying to find a job, Kirkcaldy teenager Arran Ritchie said his presence in the dole queue is not for the “want of trying.”
The 19-year-old is desperate for a job and has actively sought work since August, ending up on Jobseeker’s Allowance after a stint at Adam Smith College.
Arran was one of dozens of people in search of a job at Kirkcaldy’s Jobcentre Plus office on Wednesday and hopes to see a steady wage come in soon.
“It’s not easy at the moment because there are not a lot of things coming up just now,” he said, explaining how he had been a Skillseeker at Glenrothes swimming pool before going to college and ending up unemployed.
“I want to work in travel or as a lifeguard and I’ve just found one possible lifeguard job today, although that’s the first one I’ve had the whole time I’ve been on the dole.”
One avenue that may open up to Arran and others is Jobcentre Plus Triage, which provides support, training, work preparation and job opportunities to help people in receipt of benefits.
“They are sending me to the Triage to help me find a job on the 21st and a couple of my pals have found a job through that,” he added.
“Hopefully that will help me get a job soon.”
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said there are jobs and pledged to continue supporting people back into work.
“The facts are that there are jobs available in the economy with Jobcentre Plus alone taking on over 70,000 new vacancies every week that’s around one million coming up through Jobcentre Plus every three months,” they said.
“Our new work experience scheme will give young people the opportunity to work in a business for up to two months and our new partnership with the Prince’s Trust will mean thousands more volunteering opportunities.”