THE Gwent economy has received a major boost with the announcement of 120 new jobs at a state of the art contact centre.

Wales' only independent contract call centre provider, Dial, already employs 250 workers at its Llantarnam site.

Now booming business means the company is looking to expand. Managing director Lionel Phillips said: "When we talk about recruiting 120 new full time posts, we are not talking about sometime over the next few years but immediately.

"In order to meet the demands of new contracts we want to employ a large number of individuals straight away."

The company, which has a turnover of £7 million, provides call centre services for a number of major blue chip companies, including Yes Loans, British Gas and the Carphone Warehouse.

Councillor Neil Lewis, Torfaen council's executive member for economic development, welcomed the news.

He said: "The Dial contact centre is a fantastic asset for this area and we welcome the announcement that so many new jobs are being created for local people.

"These skilled job opportunities are exactly the kind of employment we are looking to attract into the area, and we will continue to work closely with Dial in building the business even further."

This latest job boost follows the Office for National Statistics' decision to relocate 600 jobs from London and Hampshire to Newport.

Mr Phillips told the Argus all the new members of Dial staff would receive comprehensive in-house training.

He said: "We are very focussed on ensuring that the opportunities are there for members of staff to progress within the company.

"We have staff here who have moved on from operative level to management positions and are forging ahead with their careers with us."