Better service aims to get people through downturn

AN extension to a service set up to help people deal with the economic downturn and get their lives back on track was set to be launched in the Capital today.

The city's Convener for Economic Development, Tom Buchanan, was set to join Sheila Gilmore MP and Kenny MacAskill MSP to officially unveil the extended "Get On" service.

A key element of the city's response to the economic downturn and anti-poverty strategy over the past 12 months, the "Get On" mobile information unit has successfully reached local people in the city, offering straightforward guidance and services to help them on a path into employment, training, volunteering and learning.

The new "one-stop-shop" service, funded jointly by the council and the Department for Work and Pensions, includes a new mobile bus unit, various drop-in locations across the city, a dedicated website and a freephone helpline.