JOB creation scheme organisers in Darlington have pledged to produce 160 new posts in the town during the next two years.

The Darlington Into Work project was launched in January last year and has so far created 40 jobs.

Now, it has received a boost from the European Social Fund with a grant of more than £100,000 to create more work places for unemployed people in the town.

The project is designed for small to medium-sized businesses and helps them find workers who have the right skills for their companies and are interested in working for them.

The scheme assesses the recruitment needs of Darlington companies and matches them with the skills and ambitions of people looking for work.

It then gives financial assistance to the firms through wage subsidies from Darlington Borough Council to encourage them to take on the new workers and train them for at least six months.

Once the six months are up, the trainees can either be taken on as full or part-time staff or try to find other employment with the backing of their new skills.

The scheme is a joint project between Darlington council and the William Morrison Enterprise Trust.

Funding from both partners, added to the new European grant means a total of £166,000 is available to businesses which are willing to take on and train new staff.

Businesses can claim a total of £1,170 to subsidise the wages of a new employee as long as they pledge to offer training and have a possibility of offering people work when they have the new skills.

David Lyonette, the council's cabinet member for economic regeneration welcomed the news of the extra money.

He said: "The extra European funding means that we can now build on the success of the first year of Darlington Into Work.

"Our aim is to create 160 new jobs over the next two years, so we are looking for companies which are willing to invest in the scheme, train new employees and create sustainable jobs."

Companies wanting to take part in the Darlington Into Work project can obtain full details from Lynn Groves on (01325) 387700