A programme to help young people in East Ayrshire with opportunities to develop transferable skills and overcome anxiety to prepare them for jobs has been a success.

Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) provided funding of £5,000 for the eight-week Coalfields Sports Works programme which combined football and employability sessions to support all young people. This included those who have experienced high levels of anxiety and social isolation in classroom environments, or who have a criminal past or been long-term unemployed.

Throughout the training, participants were able to learn about teamwork, responsibility and structure and apply these skills to both the employability and sport sessions.

The football encouraged social interaction which the group had previously found challenging, while the employability sessions enabled young people to develop assets for career progression.

The funding has also been used for one-to-one meetings with job coaches, who have worked with each young person to create a tailored action plan for their next steps.

Six of the eight participants who completed the Coalfields Sports Works programme have either found employment or are actively applying for entry level roles.

Daniel Steele, one of the Coalfields Sports Works participants, had spent time in prison and struggled to secure employment following his release.

He said: “I felt like the whole world was against me when I came out, I couldn’t get the support I needed to help get my life back on track.

“I suffered from social anxiety as well, it was an aspect of my personality which really let me down. But since I’ve completed the Coalfields Sports Works programme, my mindset has completely changed and the new skills I’ve learned have made me feel like a viable candidate. For the first time, I am receiving responses and offers of interviews for jobs in landscaping.”

Stephen McCarron, Auchinleck Community Development Initiative (ACDI) manager, worked on the front line with young people in the Coalfields Sports Works group.

Stephen said: “All of the young people enrolled on the course had either registered with Skills Development Scotland or job centres but hadn’t been taught how to actually apply for a job.

“Coalfields Sports Works has given them confidence and skills to take forward into their career progression, which has been incredibly rewarding.”

Nicky Wilson, trustee at Coalfields Regeneration Trust commented on the success of the scheme, added: “It’s fantastic to see the positive impact the Coalfields Sports Works programme has had on giving young people the support they need to get onto the career ladder, and into a role they enjoy.

“The main attraction for a lot of the participants was the football element but has been interesting to watch how the team worked together to create ideas, share team responsibility to build transferable skills.”