STAFF who helped hundreds of disadvantaged Gwent people find work could lose their own jobs under council cuts.

The Bridge Training Centre, in Maindee, Newport, is under threat of closure as the council struggles to save money.

The centre is training 75 jobseekers in basic employability skills, computing, and vocational crafts such as bricklaying and carpentry. But Newport council told the 23 staff it "fully expected" plans to axe the service in March 2004 to be approved by councillors.

The authority promised to try to reallocate staff to other council jobs, but a member of staff, who asked not to be named, said: "We are all very depressed. A lot of good staff have worked very hard to get people back into jobs. I don't know where they could have gone without us.

"Even if the council find me another position, it is unlikely to resemble my job here."

The centre was set up in 1998 to serve Newport, Monmouthshire and Torfaen by helping the young, disadvantaged or underqualified to find work.

In 2001 it topped Welsh performance tables for the New Deal scheme, and trainees have done community work across Newport.

Mark Davies, 16, of Moorland View, Caldicot, said: "The closure would put my NVQ at risk. I've worked hard here and I don't want to go to college to start again."

Donna Clayton, 36, of Monnow Way, Bettws, said: "It's devastating. I've been unemployed for two years, and coming here has really boosted my confidence with computers so that I can get back to work. Many people on my course have gone on to find a job."

The centre, off Corporation Road, is a former industrial unit in a riverside area earmarked for regeneration. Homes are being built nearby.

Manager Jill Morgan said: "The people we help are often labelled unemployable. Many have problems with drink or drugs, or are homeless. About 40% of New Deal trainees find work, and 20% of those on Basic Employability Training."

The centre was backed by cash from the three authorities it served, but last year Monmouthshire and Torfaen withdrew their funding.

Brian Dunford, economic development manager at Newport council, said he was "very disappointed" that council budget constraints and the withdrawal of the two authorities had forced the proposed closure.