A VACANT town centre building is set to be transformed to help struggling jobseekers back into work.

Uttoxeter Old Mill is being brought back into use by Burton College to offer a lifeline to the unemployed and those at risk of redundancy.

The historic Church Street building, formerly used to provide IT training, will benefit from college's programme to renovate its existing facilities.

The new service will offer encouragement, advice and support in areas ranging from preparing a CV to searching for vacant positions.

Burton College vice-principal Howard Boswell said: "Fundamentally the focus of the workshop is to help people into work, regardless of how long they have been unemployed or even if they are facing redundancy.

"The aim is to treat everyone as an individual, assessing their specific needs so we are able to put together a package."

If demand exists, the Old Mill will offer an enhanced "community curriculum" to Uttoxeter residents, including leisure and computer courses.

Mr Boswell added: "We will have a number of experienced staff on hand who will be able to offer a high level of assistance, help and mentoring. We will also be working with local employers to help them fill skills gaps, which means we will be in a unique position to help match people to vacancies.

"Importantly, our support does not stop when someone has found a job. We will continue to guide them for as long as necessarywith issues such as transport or training."

Uttoxeter has been hit by wide scale job losses since the start of the recession.

Around 1,800 positions have been axed at JCB's UK factories and hundreds have been lost at Burnaston-based Toyota.

Meanwhile, uncertainty remains hanging over 100 workers at Fox's biscuit factory which have been threatened with redundancy.

Latest figures show 244 people in the town are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance – a drop from a peak of 313 in April.

The figures are still higher than the number who signed on before the recession. In August 2007, just 81 people collected the benefit in Uttoxeter.

Councillor Geoff Morrison welcomed any initiative which could help keep people in employment.

He said: "Jobcentre Plus seems more focused on benefits than getting people work and I'm delighted Burton College has stepped in to fill the gap.

"Uttoxeter has been one of the worst affected towns in the country by the recession so we need as much help as possible, especially for young people."

The Old Mill will be officially re-launched as The Workshop in spring. For more information, call 01889 569045.