A major drive by Bristol's University of the West of England to help professional people back into work is showing signs of success.

The university has won almost £1 million from the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF) for the work and will soon set up a permanent employment support resource at Bush House on the Harbourside.

Further plans include training and job search help, discount vouchers for education and the development of on-line training options.

It is estimated that more than 2,000 professionals in the Bristol area have lost their jobs in the economic downturn.

UWE has already begun running workshops for recently

redundant professionals. These are funded by Jobcentre Plus and delivered by Linda Moysey and Ros Hitchen from UWE's career development unit.

Ms Moysey said: "At UWE we are well practised in delivering career development activities to a broad range of individuals from recent graduates to experienced professionals. We have integrated this experience into the workshops to help people to explore a range of options and hone their skills as they re-enter the job market or start their own business. This support is primarily about helping people to think laterally and get some practical help."

Julie Hodge, who was made redundant after 20 years working in marketing for a direct mail company, said the workshops had helped her.

"It was almost a relief to see that there are a lot of other mature professional people affected by the current recession and that it's not just me.

"Since attending the workshops I have had a couple of promising openings, one from a previous client and another from one of the agencies I am registered with. This has been down to my own efforts but I did find the workshops to be really useful in terms of building my confidence and helping to see how my skills could be redirected into other areas."