HUNDREDS of unemployed people have been helped back into work as part of a Government project.

The Thorntree and Brambles Farm area of Middlesbrough is noted as a deprived council estate, with 61 per cent of people out of work.

Just over 15 months ago, Pertemps Employment Alliance (PEA) -an organisation delivering Government-funded initiatives -turned the town's Corpus Christi church hall into a £400,000 resource centre.

The College Road hall has since run one of 12 pilot schemes across the country.

Working Neighbourhoods, known as the WiN project, is helping about 450 residents in the area by PEA -300 of whom are now working.

Catering for families as well as people looking for work, advisors can help with issues such as childcare, low confidence, debt management or job-hunting.

Among those to benefit was father-of-four Martin Ley-shon, who was unemployed for a year, and has been retrained and in work thanks to the WiN team.

Coming from an industrial stores background, Mr Leyshon needed his skills updating, and WiN helped him to obtain a telescopic forklift truck licence and site safety qualifications.

Now working in a secure contract with Barratt Homes in Thornaby, Mr Leyshon said: "I have got nothing but praise for this scheme -I got a job within one week of completing my courses.

"Your individual case worker helps you find a job and get the qualifications needed.

"It is completely different to other job-searching schemes, which seem to put pressure on people."

Centre manager Len Junier said: "We always knew it would work because we are taking this service to the people rather than waiting for them to come to us. The outreach element of WiN has given us the opportunity to really find out what problems had not previously been challenged that prevented these people from working."

The initiative benefits local employers because all services are free and one of the aims of the project is to continue helping people who find jobs once they start work.