A Stoke teenager has embarked upon a college course in plastering, bricklaying, mechanical engineering and painting, following a lifetime of underachievement, it has emerged.
Cory Johnson, 16, has been working with Stoke Challenge, an initiative which includes an intensive two-week back-to-work course for two-and-a-half months, the Guardian reported.
He now hopes to go to university or get an apprenticeship, despite being dyslexic and being "treated like a naughty child" while he was at school.
"I have made a lot of friends through Stoke Challenge. It has given me a lot of self-confidence and I didn't have any confidence or self-esteem," he said.
He added that his recent training has given him "quite a lot of confidence" and taught him how to deal with interviews.
Following his course, Johnson could go on to benefit from one of 70 jobs which, according to the Derby Telegraph, are being created in the bricklaying sector in Birmingham this year.