An on-site crèche that provides free childcare to the young children of single parents in Scotland is part of a new child-friendly training scheme to help single parents to gain new skills and get back into work.

The Dundee-based 101 training scheme offers qualifications for healthy cooking, budgeting and hygiene training, with an on-site crèche providing free childcare. It is supported by the Scottish Government Fairer Scotland Fund.

The scheme delivers the Health and Hygiene course over six weeks, and parents attend one afternoon a week. A new sports course is to be introduced to give single parents the skills for community leisure leadership positions.

The project aims to provide training for 100 single parents every year. Last month the first six mothers to benefit from the scheme received their SVQ certificates from Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil.

He said: "This project has all the right ingredients with fantastic childcare support and practical skills that can be used in the workplace, in the community and in the home."

The 101 project is receiving £110,000 of funding from Fairer Scotland over the next two years.