A Bradford man has paid tribute to the National Careers Service for helping him back to work after a two-year struggle to find a job.

Luke Fowler, 23, of West Bowling, contacted the service for CV advice after he was forced to leave the Army on medical grounds.

He is now a gardener for Incommunities, Bradford’s biggest social housing landlord, and studying towards an NVQ in horticulture at Craven College.

“After being out of work for two years and not managing to find another job, I was feeling I was never going to get into work,” he said.

“My advisor really helped me develop a CV that was fit for purpose and helped me find my new job, which I love. It’s a 12-month contract, but I am studying at college and hoping it will lead to a permanent role in the future.”

With support from the National Careers Service, Mr Fowler was recruited on to Incommunities’ ‘Open Field’ programme, an employment service designed to help local residents access jobs and training opportunities.

The scheme also offers a range of free help for jobseekers including job search guidance, interview training and mentoring support.

Steve Short, Incommu-nities’ director of ‘Open Field’, said: “Luke has been recruited on a 12-month contract through the Employment Opportunities Fund and is progressing well as an operative in our green team. He is one of 320 people recruited to the programme who are gaining valuable work experience in different services.”

The National Careers Service is available to anyone aged 13 and over in England, providing impartial careers information and guidance either online, by telephone, or face-to-face.

Results from the organisation’s most recent Job Confidence Index survey revealed that confidence across Yorkshire and the Humber is on the increase, with 77 per cent of people said to have become more, or equally as, confident in their job or ability to find work since November last year, an increase of three per cent.

Two-thirds of those questioned, 67 per cent, attributed the increase to more opportunities becoming available in-line with the economic recovery across the UK, while 70 per cent felt they now had the right level of experience needed to find work, an increase of seven per cent since August 2013.