New website aims to help young people enter the job market

A computer programmer from New Stevenston is launching a website and app to help young people find jobs.
New Stevenston man Chris Lawlor has launched his own jobs website for young people. Pic Alan WatsonNew Stevenston man Chris Lawlor has launched his own jobs website for young people. Pic Alan Watson
New Stevenston man Chris Lawlor has launched his own jobs website for young people. Pic Alan Watson

Following his graduation from Strathclyde University with a degree in computer science Chris Lawlor (22) was able to quickly find employment, but he knows many others are not so fortunate.

He said: “In today’s society it is difficult for young adults to gain employment, especially when they don’t have a lot of work experience.

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“The frustration of not having the opportunity to acquire this experience is a huge problem many people face.

“Career help services can guide these young adults on the correct path to employment, which is a step in the right direction, but can sometimes be a lengthy process.

“During this transition into the workplace, many young adults get knocked back time and again which can affect their confidence and motivation to keep pushing forward.”

Through his company, Lawlor Technologies, Chris has launched the Yep Jobs website, with an app to follow later in the year.

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He said: “Reaching out to a young generation through the use of technology is key and while I was a student as part of my course work I worked closely with a career’s help service in Renfrewshire.

“We came up with a solution to help young adults transition into the workplace more smoothly and also supply a cost efficient solution for the employment help services.

“Since I left university I have been working to refine the system and Yep Jobs now offers UK employers and recruitment agencies the ability to post jobs to this website with young adults having a place to go to find jobs specifically suited for them.

“On the other side of the system, the mobile app will use the same database as Yep Jobs uses. This means that jobs posted to the website get fed into the app, allowing users to match with job profiles based of their skills, hobbies and interests.”

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Chris says it is important to keep young people engaged with the process of job hunting so when the app is launched it will contain many unique features,

He said: “Using motivational techniques within the app such as gamification allows users to remain encouraged and feel rewarded by unlocking various achievements.

“I believe we accomplish more if we’re having fun and as a result it will lower the probability of giving up in the search for employment.”