Cumbernauld woman who is living the dream after becoming a pastry chef is 20,000th person to be helped in job scheme

When Catherine Scorgie turned up at a Routes To Work session run by North Lanarkshire Council, she was asked by her case worker Janice what she would like to do to earn a living.

"Bake cakes'' was the reply but that was easier said than done. With no real work experience and lacking in confidence, Catherine attended courses to build her self esteem and gain employability skills before successfully applying for a work placement to give her a taster of what work would be like.

In May 2021 Catherine was offered a full-time kitchen assistant post in the Royal Hotel in Crieff - a huge step as it involved moving to a new town and renting a flat. The job was busy and Catherine experienced a range of duties around the kitchen, which she enjoyed. This learning and experience allowed Catherine to apply for a new job at Crieff Hydro at the end of last year – she was successful and is now in her dream job as a pastry chef!

So she now spends her days baking those cakes she told her caseworker about way back at the start of her journey with Routes To Work.

Catherine was also involved in a special ceremony to celebrate the initiative where her success story was showcased

She said “I’m still standing and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support from Routes To Work and Janice the whole way through. I'd like to say a thousand thank yous for everything. It is an amazing feeling to be one of 20,000 people to be helped into work.”

Councillor Paul Di Mascio, Convener of the council’s Enterprise, Growth and Fair Work Committee, attended the event and presented Catherine with a gift to mark the occasion. He said: “It was inspiring to see the excellent work done by everyone at Routes to Work over the past 20 years in supporting 20,000 people into employment. By developing skills, knowledge and experience in each individual, the staff have contributed to improving the quality of life of each person and their families.”

For more information on this scheme see www.routestowork.co.uk/