MORE than 230 people have been helped back into work, thanks to a Rochdale-based company.

Unemployed residents are being supported by a training provider, TNG, just six months after the Falinge area hit the headlines when it was revealed that the area had the highest ratio of benefit claimants in the country.

The business, based in Manchester Road, is helping the long-term unemployed overcome personal and educational barriers to work through innovative programmes.

Craig Harrison, aged 26, of Rochdale, has already benefited from the project. At the age of 12, he was expelled from school and developed anger management issues.

After working with a TNG adviser, he signed up to an anger management course and learned how to interact with people.

He successfully completed the programme and became inspired to help others. Now, he works with children in Rochdale to help them to overcome their anger management difficulties.

He said: "I let my anger problems affect my life for too long and now I help to prevent other people from doing the same. TNG is a great place to be and the staff are friendly and helpful. Thanks to them, I have overcome my problems and can look forward to the future with hope and happiness."

Dawn Marsh, director of Northern region at TNG, added: "Long-term unemployment can be a confidence-shattering vicious cycle. Here we encourage people to break that cycle and help them onto a new path. Each person is treated as an individual and their training and work placement plan will be specific to them. This is what makes TNG so successful and we will continue to support people into work."