A JOBS fair was staged this week for the 585 people forced out of work by the closure of Goodyear Dunlop's North-East tyre factory.
Production at Dunlop's Washington plant ended this month just weeks before a 90-day consultation period was due to finish.
Jobcentre Plus (JCP), regional development agency One NorthEast, the Learning and Skills Council, Business Link and Sunderland City Council have joined forces to help workers find jobs.
As well as the jobs fair, information sessions, one-to-one advice, a job-search facility, training analysis and workshops have been made available.
JCP said yesterday 112 Dunlop workers had expressed an interest in setting up businesses.
Goodyear Dunlop announced its the closure of its Washington factory in April, blaming low-cost competition from overseas.
A 90-day consultation started immediately, but in May the firm said all efforts to save the factory had failed and it finally closed earlier this month.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article