TRAINING courses tailored to individual needs are helping unemployed people back into work on Teesside.

Middlesbrough's Thorntree and Brambles Farm estates are being targeted in a pioneering partnership forged between three training agencies.

The area has been singled out because it is the third most deprived ward in Britain, with abnormally poor school achievement levels.

As part of the scheme, residents can work at their own pace to complete a variety of easy access courses tailored to suit their needs.

Mother-of-four Claire Loughlin, who faced the threat of eviction because of rent arrears, has now got a job as a cleaner at the National Trust's Ormesby Hall within two weeks of completing back-to-work courses. And in doing so, she has kept her home.

Another resident, Sarah Dean, a mother-of-two, has completed 13 courses and has a good chance of finding employment.

The Working Neighbourhoods, or WiN project, was officially launched yesterday.

Len Junier, WiN centre manager said: "The need to be a part of the solution and not part of the problem is visible in everything we do at WiN and Employment Zone."

Kevin Monaghan, the local operations co-ordinator for learn-direct, said: "Although the partnership has only been working for a short time, the response we have had from the residents has been fantastic.

"We are making a real difference to people's lives and we are making it fun."