Free train journeys are on offer for job seekers
JOBSEEKERS are being offered free rail journeys in an effort to remove one of the “barriers” to getting back into the workforce.
ScotRail Alliance said people seeking employment will be eligible for two free return journeys a month, for travel to and from an interview.
The firm will also provide travel tickets for the first month of a new job, as part an initiative it claims will help boost the Scottish economy.
Managing director Alex Hynes said: “For people out of work, the cost of travelling to an interview can often be a barrier to returning to work.
“By removing that barrier and providing help with the cost, we hope to be able to support people into work and grow Scotland’s economy.
“The support we offer to jobseekers is one of the ScotRail Alliance’s best kept secrets – but I want as many people as possible to know about this opportunity.”
The scheme only applies to people who are engaged with a jobcentre to find work.
Those seeking work can already get a 50% discount on some rail tickets through the Job- centre Plus Travel Discount Card. Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Employability and Training, said: “The ScotRail franchise is about much more than delivering a rail service – it acts as an enabler for growth by helping people access education, employment and leisure opportunities across the country.
“This offer to jobseekers does exactly that by making attending interviews and starting work more affordable.”
The move comes after the UK Government announced it was to close a number of job centres across the country.
Earlier this year the Evening Times campaigned against the closures of seven of Glasgow’s job centres.
Locals living near the at-risk centres argued it would put them further out of pocket if they had to travel to centres miles away.
The Department of Work and Pensions announced they would close six of the proposed seven centres across the city.