CREATING jobs is proving to be child's play in one area of Teesside.

A doubling in size of children's nurseries on both the Kirby and Marton campuses of Middlesbrough College, with the creation of 50 extra places, means 12 more child care workers being recruited.

The extension to the nurseries has been made possible because of a £445,000 grant from the Government's New Opportunities Fund and the Learning and Skills Council.

Project manager Peter Smith said: "The nursery is designed primarily for students, but we also expect around a quarter of the places to be taken up by people with jobs, including our former students, who are looking for good child care.

"This is an excellent development for the college and for child care in Middlesbrough. Our nursery has been established for 11 years and whenever it has been inspected it has scored highly for the quality of service it provides. We're really looking forward to building on that reputation.''