Development and Evaluation of the Transport to Employment (T2E) Service: Overcoming Transport Barriers to Job Opportunities Leading to More Sustainable Rural Communities in Highland Scotland

Abstract

We highlight the specific problem of lack of transport as a significant barrier to local job seekers finding work in rural areas with a focus on the Sutherland and Easter Ross area of Highland Scotland. The paper describes the Transport to Employment (T2E) scheme: a novel solution to overcoming transport barriers to job opportunities. Evaluation of the scheme has revealed an effective, reliable and popular transport service for job seekers in rural areas that produces an excellent return on investment for funding bodies, healthy economic benefits to individuals, employers and the State. The scheme also contributes to sustainable community development, by reductions in depopulation amongst young local job seekers.

Rural Economic Development: A Review of the Literature from Industrialized Economies

“…Additional research is pushing boundaries on older topics. These include new perspectives on rural mobility (Wright et al. 2008), public participation in rural economic development debate (Shortall 2008), issues of leadership and creativity (Wood and Taylor 2004), cultural economies (Conradson and Pawson 2009), and even the persistence of rural poverty in developed economies (Foulkes and Newbold 2008).…”

“…Additional research is pushing boundaries on older topics. These include new perspectives on rural mobility (Wright et al 2008), public participation in rural economic development debate (Shortall 2008), issues of leadership and creativity (Wood and Taylor 2004), cultural economies (Conradson and Pawson 2009), and even the persistence of rural poverty in developed economies (Foulkes and Newbold 2008). With respect to gender, new research has been exploring challenges within gendered participation in social and economic decision making (Martz 2004;Midgley 2006;O'Toole and Macgarvey 2003), as well as the gendered 'lenses' being applied within various research frameworks (Reed 2007).…”

The impact of a rail network on socioeconomic inclusion: A ward-level analysis of Liverpool

“…Classical ideas about urban space and mobility argued how transportation and communication were primary factors in the ecology of the city as they enable mobility and competition between actors (Mumford, 1968; Park and Burgess, 1925). As transport systems evolve, through the deployment of greater resources and new technologies, for example, new travel opportunities can emerge and previously unrecognised spaces become connected and over time (Wright et al, 2008). This produces changing forms of mobility, and patterns of production and consumption are altered impacting upon the everyday material existence of citizens (Pooley et al, 2006).…”