Routes to Work Drives Skills and Training for Parents in West Lothian
- cbarrowman4
- Nov 13
- 6 min read
Free, High Value Skills and Training For Parents Opens Doors to Childminding and Hospitality Careers
Routes to Work, working together with West Lothian Council, the Partnership for Parents initiative and the wider West Lothian Local Employability Partnership, recently ran two great training routeways in West Lothian. This strong collaboration offers free, specialised training designed to support parents who are facing real challenges in finding a job. The project aims to create clear and lasting career paths by providing accredited skills and qualifications in the high demand sectors of Childminding and Hospitality.
This vital programme, which took place at the Lanthorn Community Centre in Livingston, is a fantastic example of the effective and targeted employability services West Lothian and Routes to Work can offer. Our main goal is simple: to help marginalised families become more secure financially and tackle child poverty in our community. For parents who have been out of work or struggle with traditional job hours, this parent employability training offers a supportive and free opportunity to gain accredited skills for immediate employment. In addition, it helps them get into the crucial mindset of preparing for work - building the confidence to get a job and keep that employment for the long term. This is all about providing the essential skills and training for parents that truly make a difference.
A Partnership Driven Focus on High Priority Parents and Work Readiness
This important programme is a team effort by the West Lothian Local Employability Partnership. Alongside our West Lothian partners, we worked together to bring all our best practice and local resources into one place. By doing this, we make sure the training focuses specifically on the groups who need the most help to get started or move forward in their lives.
We know that real success means tailoring support to individual circumstances, focusing both on practical skills and on building confidence for the world of work.
The comprehensive training package was specifically designed for three high-priority groups in the West Lothian community, directly addressing the common problems they face:
Support for Lone Parents: We provide flexible learning options and understand the complex demands of childcare. This training model means parents who raise a family on their own don't have to choose between looking after their children and aiming for a career. We focus on career paths, like childminding, that can offer the flexibility that single parents truly need.
Ethnic Minority Parent Support: We offer clear opportunities to address inequalities in employment, making sure everyone has fair access to high-quality training and local job networks.
Job Training for Parents in Recovery: We create a supportive, holistic environment for those building a new future, where confidence building and foundational life skills are integrated with technical qualifications, helping everyone achieve that all-important work mindset.
By focusing on these key groups, the Routes to Work programme makes sure resources are directed where they can have the biggest impact on reducing poverty, economic inactivity, and improving family wellbeing.
Gaining Skills: Childminding Qualifications and Hospitality Training
The programme is split into two different career and training paths, and each one is set up to give parents the practical, in-demand qualifications they can use anywhere. This is a smart way to build on vital skills while providing flexible, family-friendly employment options.
The Childminding Career Path
Our free childminding training specifically prepared trainees for a fulfilling career caring for babies and young children. This includes knowing the correct procedures and being able to provide necessary support while on the job.
The Hospitality Career Path
The hospitality sector in West Lothian is growing and offers many ways to get started, focusing on essential customer service and food hygiene skills that are highly valued by all employers in the industry.
Key Skills and Qualifications Achieved
REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene Level 5: An essential, well-known qualification for anyone working with food, which is critical for both childminding and catering roles.
Paediatric First Aid Training: This is a vital childminding qualification for parents who undertook our course and provides essential life-saving skills. This included practical skills such as CPR training and knowing how to respond in emergencies.
Safeguarding: Training to ensure the best practices in child protection and professional workplace conduct as a childminder.
World Host Customer Service and Dealing with Conflict: Professional certifications that are highly valued by employers looking to fill West Lothian hospitality jobs. Both courses cover the basics of customer service and conflict resolution - enabling trainees to handle any customer facing role effectively.
Parent Employability Training: Results and Testimonials
The best way to see the true impact of this programme is to hear what the trainees got out of it and to see the quality of the training delivered. Hearing directly from those involved highlights how these free qualifications create tangible career pathways for parents and the positive effects the training leaves for everyone who participated.
This is what Wai Kuen had to say about the training:
“I saw the advert for this training on Facebook and I wanted to get more knowledge to get a job… I’ve gotten more professional knowledge on safety especially and I have made new friends whilst doing this training… The training has made me feel more ready for a career in childminding and has made me feel more confident… Overall, I have found it helpful.” — Wai Kuen, Trainee
Nazloon, another trainee, also had this to say about the childminding routeway:
“I found out about this training from my caseworker, the challenge for me is finding a job as I have no work experience in the UK…By gaining the first aid course, I can update my CV and this will help me in getting a job at a school… The training was very useful. The trainer was very friendly and supportive, I learned a lot of how to do CPR and use a defibrillator.” — Nazloon, Trainee
Elaine from MK Safety Solutions, who held the first aid training, spoke highly of those who participated in the training and how well they did:
“The group engaged very well and they knew each other which helped a lot… The engagement was super and when I asked a question, they would all answer… In the training, you could see their confidence grow in the session and when I asked if they had all learned something, they had all said yes.” — Elaine, Representative from MK Safety Solutions
You can have a look at what we got up to in our first aid session by clicking on this link!
Your Next Step: Accessing Ongoing Employability Support
If you're a parent who is struggling and you need advice and training, Routes to Work are here to support you on your journey back into work. We provide tailored and professional support to help you achieve your goals, such as:
Identifying your long-term career goals and the most appropriate training based on these goals and your family circumstances.
Help with professional CV writing and developing your skills for job interviews.
Accessing potential funding for further accredited training or for essential costs such as childcare or travel.
Connecting you with local employers actively looking for candidates with your new qualifications.
Routes to Work will be holding more free training in West Lothian this November. We will be carrying out the following training:
CSCS Health and Safety - Thursday 13th November 2025
REHIS Food Hygiene Level 5 - Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th November 2025
Take the first step by registering for Routes to Work and start your journey today!
If you’re based in West Lothian, you can call our caseworker Scot Smith on 07857 629694 to register for all upcoming and future training over the phone.
However, if you are living in North Lanarkshire, you can register to Routes to Work and access our wide range of support such as: assistance with wellbeing & health, confidence & motivation, a wide variety of job training, finance and budgeting help and building a support network.
🔗 Start your journey today and register for Routes to Work!
