Fun and games for jobseekers

This week, the number of staff hired to work at Glasgow 2014 reached 1,000, with 400 vacancies still to be filled.

This is part of a total of 4,500 people who have found work, training or apprenticeships in Glasgow as a legacy of projects related to July’s monumental events.

Posts to be filled, according to officials, are in areas of transport, logistics, financial planning, medical, catering, cleaning and waste and contract management.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Graduate Fund has also reached a major milestone of finding work for more than 500 graduates, which is half way to its final target.

The fund is part of Glasgow city council’s £50m Glasgow Guarantee, which was created in recognition of the current graduate recruitment market being suppressed in the economic climate.

This fund targets the recruitment of up to 1,000 unemployed or underemployed Glasgow graduates by offering financial assistance of up to £10,000 for the first year of new graduate jobs.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow city council, told The Extra: “We want to make sure Glaswegians have the skills and opportunities to find work and fulfil their aspirations for a brighter future.

“The more skilled people we have in the city, and the more we link these skills to the needs of business, the easier it is to attract future investment and jobs.

“This is a win-win situation for Glasgow and everyone that lives here.”

Meanwhile, the games received a huge boost this week with news that double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah has confirmed he will compete at the Sainsbury’s Glasgow Grand Prix at Hampden Park on July 11-12.

This has raised hopes that the Olympic hero will be back on the same track representing England at the Commonwealth Games three weeks later.