Five young people have been helped onto the first rung of the employment ladder under a training scheme delivered by Camborne-based Coastline Housing.

The trainees - all aged between 18 and 24 and out of work at the time they were recruited - were given their chance under the government-funded Future Jobs (FJF).

They were the first - and last - group to be trained under the programme which became an early casualty of the new government's spending cuts.

But the short-lived initiative - which aimed to provide training and a taste of working life for unemployed young people - has been hailed as a success by Kate Barker, Coastline's HR Administrator who said: "Some of the people who came to us on the scheme are still with us, either on temporary contract or as permanent employees, and they are doing a range of jobs within the organisation.

"A number of others have left to do their own things, armed with the confidence and practical work experience that the initiative gave them."

She added: "In those terms I think FJF was a real success."

David Wingham, Director of Corporate Services said: "Although the FJF has been cancelled, we are looking at other avenues for funding in the hope of creating a similar programme, albeit on a smaller scale, later in the year."

The trainees taken on by Coastline are Natalie Birch, who works as a bookings administrator, Natasha Stocks, an extra care support worker, Neil Gabbitas, a grounds operative, Frazer White, a trainee surveyor, and Sam Douglas, a finance assistant.

Said Sam: "Coastline Housing and the Future Jobs Fund have given me the biggest opportunity of my life, and found me a career path which I will gladly follow."