MAJOR local employers Capita have said they are committed to working with the Darwen community as a thank-you for the help it has received from local people.

Capita administers a contract for TV Licensing from its India Mill site in Darwen and provides services for Blackburn with Darwen Council from sites around the area.

A group of final-year students from Darwen Vale High School are currently shadowing Capita employees as part of a new mentoring scheme.

The scheme follows a successful pilot project last year in which six Darwen Vale business students visited Capita and received guidance from mentors.

All those taking part improved on their predicted exam grades, with several students achieving their best grade in business studies.

Simon Pill, Capita's training and recruitment manager at the India Mill contact centre, said: "We feel very much part of the Darwen community.

"We had a lot of local help in setting up the contact centre here and we hired many of our employees from nearby.

"This scheme is one way in which we can show our gratitude to the community and put something back into it."