Young people in Scotland looking for a job are set to benefit from money seized from criminals

Money seized from criminals is to be used to help a generation of young Scots find employment.

Action for Children has received £500,000 from the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities initiative to extend its work with unemployed young people and develop a new program called Positive Choices.

The funding will enable us to work with larger numbers, giving young people the tools to build a better future and helping to tackle youth unemployment in this country

The project will improve the skills of around 160 young people across Scotland to prepare them for a career in areas such as the construction industry, sports coaching, social care and the oil and gas industries over the next three years.

Paul Carberry, director of service development at Action for Children Scotland, said: “We work with some of the most vulnerable young people in society – young people who have left school with no qualifications, are unemployed, and who lack the confidence and motivation to find work.

“The CashBack for Communities funding will enable us to work with larger numbers, giving young people the tools to build a better future and helping to tackle youth unemployment in this country.”

The funding announcement, the first time Action for Children has received money from the initiative, was made by justice secretary Kenny MacAskill during a visit to Youthbuild, an Action for Children project that helps unemployed young gain construction skills.

MacAskill said: "The organisation plays a vital role in improving the lives of children throughout Scotland and, by using cash seized from criminals, will improve the futures of generations of Scots to come,” he said.

“The £500,000 funding will provide vital training and additional skills to not only benefit individuals, but also their communities around them, and I am delighted that these ill-gotten gains can now be used for genuine good.”