The Chartered Accountants' Benevolent Association (CABA) says a scheme it set up to tackle growing requests for help from unemployed accountants seeking new positions has seen more than half the participants get back into work.

In 2012 the charity introduced a career coaching programme designed to provide effective tools for accountants who have lost their jobs to enable them to improve their attractiveness to prospective employers.

So far 124 people have finished the course, and CABA says around two out of three have achieved positive outcomes, with 65 finding paid employment, nine becoming self employed, two undertaking further training, four taking a career break and one volunteering.

Natalie Worth, Head of Operations at CABA, said the organisation saw a dramatic increase in the number of callers asking for help with unemployment, two years ago.

'We are pleased to say that these new statistics show that the initiative has been successful in a large number of cases.'

Initially, CABA's scheme attracted most interest from accountants who had reached middle age and whose job seeking skill set often needed refreshing. However, CABA reports an increasing number of people in the under 35 age bracket accessing the service. In 2012, they represented 11% of all new clients while in 2013 this increased to 20%.

Worth said: 'The overall age profile of those approaching us for help with unemployment issues is certainly falling and we are seeing many more people near the start of their accountancy career. This group originally appeared to us to be more resilient to unemployment issues but perhaps that is no longer quite as true.'

Two versions of career coaching are available - a face to face service where a dedicated work coach develops a bespoke programme of support supplemented by access to learning events and online career guidance; and an online programme with full telephone career coach support, access to a CV builder, interview simulator, career planner, aptitude tests and access to job vacancy databases.

Worth said: 'One of the main findings that we have made is that once a person becomes unemployed or is placed under threat of unemployment, entering a programme such as career coaching quickly is much more beneficial than waiting. We would urge anyone who finds themselves in this situation to get in touch now.'

Information about career coaching can be found at caba.org.uk or by calling 01788 556366.