OUT-of-work youngsters are being taken off the dole to renovate crumbling houses - and give themselves somewhere to live.

Two of Pendle's major problems - youth unemployment and crumbling homes - will be tackled by the major new joint initiative, created by the borough council and Staffordshire Housing Association. Out-of-work young people are being offered the chance to learn building skills and qualifications while they renovate the area's derelict homes.

As an incentive they will be given the chance to rent or buy the homes they have worked on.

The Pendle Young Builders project will be launched in Nelson on Wednesday. It aims to provide 15 young people a year for five years with employment, training and qualifications in the building trade.

The project is being partly funded by Pendle Partnership's Single Regeneration Budget cash and has been created by the council and Staffordshire Housing Association. Trainees will undergo paid placements with local building firms over a two-year period during which time they will work on renovating empty houses in Pendle. They will also take part in day release courses at Burnley College to gain qualifications to NVQ levels two and three.

Organisers hope that up to 40 houses a year will be improved through the project which trainees will have the chance to rent or buy for themselves.

Trevor Mitton, head of Pendle Council's urban renewal unit and project manager, said: "This project aims to tackle two problematic issues within the borough. Firstly each year it will provide 15 previously unemployed young people in Pendle with a unique opportunity to learn new skills whilst gaining recognised qualifications.

"Secondly it will go some way towards dealing with the problems of empty housing in Pendle."

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