CONVICTED offenders are being helped to stay clear of crime by training for work at a County Durham college.

Durham Probation Service has teamed up with Bishop Auckland College to offer tailored courses to people who have been sentenced to carry out unpaid community work.

The project, which has been funded by Equal, a European social fund, gives offenders more chance of finding jobs by taking up training programmes which are accredited through the National Open College Network.

The programme is voluntary and is carried out alongside the community sentence.

More than 160 people enrolled in the first three months and had the chance to complete an individual personal learning plan, which builds on their experience and skills.

They can choose from courses on health and safety awareness, work experience, developing a personal working programme, speaking and listening skills, using and maintaining interior decorative paint effects.

Sue Hine, director of interventions for the probation service, said: "Increasing the employability of offenders is recognised nationally as way to dramatically reduce re-offending.

"Through education and training, coupled with the labour-intensive work which is completed on community service projects, we can actually increase an individual's chance of finding employment once they have finished their order.

"This means that person is less likely to return to a criminal lifestyle in the future."

Robert Ball, 20, from Great Lumley, is looking for work after completing a seven-month community order.

He joined a horticulture training programme in early June, achieving the full Progression Award, while carrying out unpaid work removing graffiti, cutting grass, digging and fence building.

He said: "I was keen to enrol on the training programme as I wanted to do something that would help me get a job in the future. The work I've done so far has really motivated me to maintain my own garden and learn more about things such as pest control and plant diseases.

"Now I've finished the courses, I hope to use the qualifications to get a job in a warehouse or as a gardener."