Mike Moore MP joined Katy on a visit to City Building’s Queenslie Training Centre in the East End of Glasgow. The centre offers a unique combination of high quality construction training and on-site experience on a wide range of projects for the public and private sector. They spoke to staff and apprentices and even got to try out some of the trades themeselves.

Speaking after the visit, Katy said:

“The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious work programme for Scotland, offering work experience, internships, apprenticeships or substantial volunteering opportunities for young people struggling to break into the jobs market. City Building is a major employer of apprentices and has long been involved in providing work experience opportunities to young people. We need to help more employers take on young people, through apprenticeships, work experience or volunteering.

We know times are hard for the construction sector just now but providing decent housing across Scotland is essential if we are to meet our long term ambitions for the economy and our health and social wellbeing. There is a major challenge in tackling the housing shortfall and our Action Plan is focused on helping deliver more homes that are affordable, both in the heart of towns and cities and in rural areas. We need to bring empty homes back into use and tackle the scourge of fuel poverty by a large scale programme of home insulation. This will both create jobs and contribute to a greener economy.”

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander MP joined top Lib Dem List candidate for Glasgow Katy Gordon at an independent whisky bottlers and suppliers in Charing Cross to unveil the party’s export action plan. They visited Douglas Laing & Co., an independent, family run business who export all over the globe, discussed the barriers to export that businesses are experiencing and were shown the vaste range of samples in the company’s extensive tasting room.

Speaking after the visit, Katy said:
“Scotland’s relative position in exporting has fallen back over the last three years. The Scottish Liberal Democrats will reverse this. We will set a target to grow the economic value of Scotland’s exports by 50% by 2020. Douglas Laing & Co is exactly the sort of successful business we want to help expand their overseas trade.”

“Having worked with young people over many years with Careers Scotland (now part of Skills Development Scotland) and helped businesses both recruit young people and negotiate their way through redundancy programmes, I totally agree that it is vital that young people get the right advice at the right time to help them plan their careers, particularly in today’s tough economic climate. Unemployment is something that many constituents have expressed concern about, and giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the job market is vital to improving the current unemployment rates.  In fact, England could perhaps learn from the experience north of the border that an integrated all age careers guidance service is recognised internationally as the most effective way of supporting seamless transitions into learning and employment.”

Alastair Darling was the keynote speaker.  He was upbeat about the chances of economic recovery in 2010, despite the lagging indicators of the recession such as unemployment continuing to show the recession is hitting people hard.  Katy said:

“It is clear from the Chancellor’s speech that he is not serious about genuine reform of the financial services industry. There was nothing to indicate support of measures such as the High Pay Commission, or specific steps to curb the high-risk, short-term big-bonus culture that has already caused so much damage to the economy. We need genuine changes if this sort of financial crisis is to be avoided in future.”

The Coach House Trust has received funding from the European Union and Mr Lyon wants more projects that provide vital support and services for their local community to benefit from European help.

Commenting, Mr. Lyon said:

“During the economic slowdown it is vital we get banks lending to businesses and help hard up families by reducing the tax burden. But we must not forget the work done by social enterprises like the Coach House Trust that provide invaluable services for the local community.

“The Coach House Trust is a success story but there are many more like it that are struggling. We cannot allow these projects to fold.

“I will fight for the funding needed to ensure that more projects like the Coach House Trust thrive despite the economic challenges ahead.”

Local challenger Katy Gordon added:

“The Coach House Trust is exactly the sort of social enterprise we need to encourage to help people get the skills and training needed to get back into work.

“We must work our way out of Labor’s recession. Nick Clegg and Vince Cable have led from the front in overcoming the economic downturn. Liberal Democrats will create the jobs needed to get Scotland moving again.

“By electing George Lyon to fight for Scotland in Europe and then by electing a Liberal Democrat MP in Glasgow North we can begin to reverse the decade of decline under Labour.”

The Budget was criticised for failing to give much needed help to those struggling in recession by refusing to back Liberal Democrat calls to cut income tax by £700 for the vast majority of people.

Commenting, Katy Gordon, Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson for Glasgow North, said:

“As the cost of food, heating, water and transport continues to rise, families in Glasgow North haven’t been given any practical help by the Government.

“People who aren’t on huge salaries are noticing more and more of their cash is going on the basics. Gordon Brown should be putting money back into their pockets by cutting income tax for the vast majority of taxpayers by £700.

“Britain’s taxes are too heavy on those who can least afford it and too easy to avoid for those who know how.

“Labour is out of ideas and out of steam. This Government has condemned us to years of unemployment and a decade of debt. The country deserves something different.”