Being unemployed for anything other than the shortest period of time can be a crushing experience, causing people to lose all sense of hope and faith in their own ability.

The longer people are out of work, the harder it can be for them to ever imagine gaining full-time employment.

And when pride and self-worth grow thin, it can become tempting to lean too much on handouts and lose the desire to earn a wage.

So it is important that steps are taken to help people get off benefits and into jobs.

One scheme aiming to do just that will see a team of long-term unemployed people working to clear up sections of the Leeds-Liverpool canal over a six-month period.

The project is part of a wider initiative aimed at creating 1,000 posts across the district.

The hope is that the skills and experience participants pick up over the term of their contract can then be transferred into their future careers.

Of course, for this to happen, it is important that the jobs provide meaningful work and training opportunities – and that those taking part take their responsibilities seriously and get stuck in.

But providing that is the case, then it is easy to imagine the potential benefits, including the nurturing of that most-valuable of things – pride in the work habit.