The Bristol Alliance may have been dissolved after Cabot Circus opened, but winning a recruitment award was the culmination of years of work in the community.

The partnership, formed to mastermind the construction of the shopping centre, won the Award for Best Corporate Citizenship Initiative at the Evening Post's Recruitment Awards last year.

From the beginning they worked to ensure a wide range of activities aimed at providing community benefits.

People living in nearby areas were provided with weekly updates on the progress of the £500 million complex and representatives of the Bristol Alliance attended resident's meetings.

The partnership also addressed schools and communities through a number of presentations to students across the region, to raise awareness of career opportunities in the retail, leisure and business sectors and to help raise youth aspirations.

Community group Baggator was also awarded £15,000 to create an internet cafe in Easton after a grants fund was set up to benefit local associations.

Once open the responsibility of the centre was passed to Cabot Circus management.

Richard Belt, centre director, said: "Since the early planning stages of Cabot Circus, the Bristol Alliance was committed to involving local communities with the regeneration of the city centre. The community engagement programme involved partnership work with local schools and regular visits and talks to community and stakeholders groups. The Cabot Circus Jobs Campaign was undertaken to ensure local people were able to benefit first and foremost from the opportunities that Cabot Circus brought, and offered a programme of free support including training and job seeking advice. During 2008, Cabot Circus delivered 3,780 new retail, leisure and hospitality jobs to the Bristol economy.

"That's why we were delighted last year to gain recognition from the Evening Post when we received the award for Best Corporate Citizenship Initiative."

The potential to engage directly with local communities proved to be a success, delivered via a roving Jobs Bus which gave advice to over 10,000 individuals, and community outreach points. Individuals also took advantage of the free, specialist training on offer, helping them develop the necessary skills for working in retail.

Michelle Poulter, former liaison manager for the Bristol Alliance, said: "We are delighted with the achievements of the partnership – initial results show that 96 per cent of those securing a job had engaged with the Cabot Circus Jobs Team. Tailored support and giving retailers and job seekers one central point of contact has been pivotal to the success."

There are 12 categories in the Evening Post Recruitment Awards.

They are Best Recruitment Consultant, Outstanding Achievement, Best Recruitment Consultancy, Best Training and Retention Scheme, Young Achiever, Best Corporate Responsibility Award, Best Recruitment Initiative: Public Sector, Private Sector and Small Business, Best Recruitment Campaign through an Advertising Company, Best in House Recruitment/HR and Against All Odds.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on October 18 at Brunel's Passenger Shed, Temple Meads.