I was told unpaid placement was for 'work experience' just six weeks after leaving job, says Callum Kenny

THE teen, who was awaiting his carers' allowance because he looks after his disabled mum, left the scheme after one week insisting he had already experienced work.

CALLUM KENNY, 19, did just one week of a five-week work placement – and says he learned everything he needed to know on day one.

The Edinburgh teenager, who cares for his disabled mum, went on jobseeker’s allowance while he waited for his carer’s allowance to come through.

During that time, he was put forward for a placement in a Salvation Army charity shop, which he says simply turned him into unpaid labour.

One week on, his carer’s allowance came through, which meant he no longer had to do the voluntary work.

He said: “When I was put forward for the placement, I had only been looking for work for three months, not long at all. I had been at college before that studying social sciences and had worked at a cafe while I was there.

“But I also care for my disabled mother and while I waited for my carer’s allowance to be approved, signing on was my only option.

“They told me it would mean I had recent work experience and that it would be useful for me. This was despite the fact that I had just ended a job a month and a half prior to that.

“The position was unpaid and it is not like it was somewhere that had any possibility of leading to a permanent paid position.

“All I was doing was putting tags on clothes. I was meant to be doing the tills and steam cleaning clothes but they weren’t training me.

“I don’t feel I really learned anything and I don’t necessarily think I will even put it on my CV.

“While I was working there, two other people were doing the scheme at the same time.

“One of them had volunteered because he wanted to get recent experience of driving delivery vans but he was doing the same as me. To me the system just doesn’t work.”

A Salvation Army spokesman said: “We are sorry the candidate felt this way. However, from the work we carry out across our programmes, we have seen many people who gained vital experience and skills needed to support them as they look for work.”

Daily Record