A job fair is to be held in Bradford to help disadvantaged groups in society get back into employment.

Social welfare and educational body the Cathedral Centre hopes to put employers in the city in contact with people with difficult and troubled pasts and help them back into the workplace.

Many of Bradford's recruitment and support agencies will be in attendance at tomorrow's event.

The centre, on Captain Street in Bradford's city centre, hopes the job fair will help people in the district seeking employment increase the awareness of what is available to them.

The Cathedral Centre, now in its 26th year, is a registered charity and each year helps hundreds of people get into work via innovative and sensitive training and mentoring schemes which it runs from the old cathedral building.

Among the groups it works with are ex-offenders, people who have had alcohol or substance abuse problems, people who have been homeless and people for whom English is not a first language.

Kelvin Batty, above, of the Cathedral Centre, said: "We work with people with problems or who have had problems and are trying to get over it.

"There are many bodies doing work in Bradford and sometimes people do not know who to refer people to.

"The idea behind it is to get as many people to the event as possible to increase the awareness of what the Cathedral Centre and other bodies can do for you. You do not need a referral, you can come in here off the street and speak to someone."

The centre provides training in areas as diverse as IT, construction work, language skills, interview techniques and media work.

It provides an extensive job search programme and get help with every aspect, from making the first initial steps to applying for roles, to getting the right clothes for interviews.

Her said: "We help as much as possible to get them into work, which is not always easy. In some cases we will put them into placements and give them two days a week somewhere.

"It brings no charge to the company and no cost and allows them to train up to work."

The event takes place on Thursday December 6 from 10am to 4pm at the Cathedral Centre. For more information call (01274) 308707.