Ref. 26716-44SWINDON may have almost full employment, but the work to match up job seekers with jobs goes on.

More than 30 employers yesterday gathered in the De Vere Hotel, West Swindon, to offer advice and occasionally work to passing visitors.

It was the 30th Evening Advertiser Careers and Jobs Live Exhibition, and organisers expected 6,000 people to drop in throughout the day.

"It's an opportunity to bring potential employees together with employers so they can ask questions and pick up information," said the Evening Adver-tiser's classified manager Jackie Brimblecombe.

"It's a good way for people to find work or learn about a different career."

Employers attending the exhibition included the Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op; Wiltshire Police; Barclays Bank; Nationwide; Marks & Spencer and West One Hair Salon.

The Great Western Hospital and Swindon College also had displays.

Ceri Bevan, marketing officer for Swindon College, said it was not too late to apply for several courses starting next week.

Tracy Wyllie, senior sister at the Great Western Hospital, said the Swindon and Marlbor-ough NHS Trust was recruiting for clerical and technical support roles as well as for nurses.

"There is a shortage of qualified nurses in Swindon but it's a national problem," she said.

"Our brand new hospital is a fantastic working environment and that has assisted us with recruitment."

Despite the shrinking pool of jobless in the town, disabled people were still finding it hard to get work, according to John Green of the Swindon Employers' Forum on Disability.

"We are trying to create as many opportunities for disabled people as possible," said Mr Green.

"We have close to full employment but at the moment disabled people are not feeling the full benefits of that."

The Forum runs a register for people looking for work and Mr Green said half of those who signed up got a job.

Roy Crowther, manager of Swindon Job Centre, said only 3,000 people were claiming Job Seekers' Allowance.

But he said his work would not be complete until everyone who wanted a job had found one.

"Despite a recent downturn in manufacturing, electronics and IT industries plus others, there is still pretty much full employment in Swin-don," he said.

"And we are starting to see more vacancies appear again.

"We are not going to give up until we have found all 3,000 a job, and there is zero unemployment."