Technical expert Stephen Constable has good qualifications and lots of experience...so why can't he get a job?

Eighteen months after being made redundant from his job as a project manager at a distillery in Scotland the Stamford Bridge man has posted hundreds of letters, attended dozens of interviews and hunted high and low for a suitable job opening.

His efforts have led him as far afield as Devon and Glasgow and left him £3,000 poorer in expenses and agency fees.

He and his wife Karin reckon the problem is simple. It's that he's 48.

And Karin became so frustrated with the negative attitude from employers that she wrote to the Evening Press.

"He is a well-qualified man, the only thing working against him is his age.

"He feels there is still so much good he can give to society and he needs to work."

Steve said that of the few jobs offered matching his skills and experience one was in France and another in the United States.

"They were a bit further out of the area than I had expected," he said.

Steve applied for Jobseekers Allowance, but found this inadequate and the job search assistance useless.

Job agencies were helpful but unable to find him a suitable job. "Since I'm over 35 the job agencies didn't think I had much chance," said Steve.

Although no businesses stated explicitly that his age was a problem Steve feels that recruitment managers unfairly pass over candidates who are a little longer in the tooth.

Jim MacAuley, chairman of Target, a York based non-profit-making organisation that assists people in Steve's position, agreed.

"If a person has good qualifications and the right experience then his age shouldn't enter the equation," he said.

"The country can't afford to throw people on the scrap heap."

Target, which stands for third age recruitment, guidance, education and training, offers a variety of resources to clients, including computer skills training, job search advice and interview practice. Mr MacAuley said Target had helped more than 1,500 people in a similar position to that in which Steve has found himself.

Last September Steve took on a franchise as he began to feel the pinch of his continued lack of income. He now operates from a van in the Hull area, filtering and cleaning catering cooking fat at hospitals, universities and schools.

But he continues to look for more suitable work. "If anyone can help me in any way I would be glad to hear from them," said Steve. He can be contacted by telephone on 01759 373569.

Updated: 10:35 Monday, January 15, 2001