The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has moved fast to respond to the Scottish Government’s challenge to prioritise improving employment opportunities in former mining areas - with construction jobs being one such target.

The Trust has set up a Jobs Pool, to pick up where the Future Jobs Fund left off. Eight young people working for a variety of charities and social enterprises in coalfields communities will benefit from an £80,000 funding package which will keep them in jobs for a further year.

The organisations which employ them have undertaken to either provide them with full time jobs at the end of the year, or do everything possible to find them alternative employment.

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Nicky Wilson Scottish Trustee of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust said: "All these young people have proven they have a real will to work and are developing a range of skills.

"Rather than see them thrown on the jobs scrapheap we hope our year’s reprieve in their present posts will lead to a real job, and a secure future."

Among those whose jobs have been saved are Robert McColl and Natalie Moffat of Candies Cuisine a social enterprise catering business based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire.

Manager Hannah Todd said: "They are both good workers and very popular with the staff. If we can get funding we would love to offer them full time jobs."

Robert, 25, from Stirling said: "It’s awesome working here. I am really learning a lot and doing everything from making sandwiches to washing the dishes and the floors…it’s the ultimate in multi-tasking."

Other posts, which have been saved, include a landscape gardener, restaurant worker, admin staff and a computer expert who serves in the Internet café when not helping customers with their hardware.

(GK/BMcC)