Pictured above: (l-r) Simon Whittingham, Amir Cullen, Ryan Mattox, Ade Gallagher from Progressive Educational Tools and support worker Andy Chima

A group of young people from Wolverhampton have broadened their horizons with the help of a Coventry-based training firm. 

Twelve students from schools across the city created and developed their own sports brand as well as mapping out potential career paths and developing their prospects.

This was part of the Wider Key Skills Course which is managed by Coventry-based training and digital delivery organisation Progressive Educational Tools (PET).

Students who complete the programme - which also teaches interview techniques and presentation skills - gain the equivalent of two grade B GCSEs.

The students from the Midpoint Centre who took part in this ten-day intensive course were part of the key stage 4 pupil referral unit - which helps students in school years 10 and 11 attain as many qualifications as possible before they reach school leaving age.

Ade Gallagher was the lead trainer from PET on this particular course at South Wolverhampton  Bilston Academy's trade skills centre which proved to be an excellent venue. He was delighted by the changes he saw in the students by the end of the programme.

He said: "At the start of the ten days it was a real struggle to get the guys to knuckle down and concentrate on what they needed to do.

"But towards the end of the second week the kids seemed to be getting on with their work really well and enjoying it.

"That is what we are all about really, it is just a case of finding a way to motivate and get the best out of people because everyone is different but everybody has it in them.  

"Hopefully, now that these guys have seen what they are capable of when they focus on something it will encourage them to treat this as a starting point and continue to improve their prospects."

Bob Callaghan is the deputy head at Wolverhampton's Midpoint Centre and is glad these students were given the opportunity to work with PET.

He said: "At Midpoint we aim to help those who have been excluded from school to do all they can to ensure they do not reach school leaving age with no qualifications.

"We take children from a range of different schools in the area and try to help them gain GCSEs in the basic subjects while also developing a trade, such as bricklaying, for one day each week.

"We have 58 students in total, across years 10 and 11 and I have been trying to work with PET for a number of years now but the funding hasn't been available.

"This year we managed to gain the funding to use PET and their 'intensive intervention' method has proved very successful, so much so that I think it is something we will look to use again.

"I was delighted with how well it has worked but I am glad that it has because it has really enhanced the life chances of these year 11 students."

This is just one of a number of courses that PET manages for schools and organisations up and down the country - as well as UK creating award-winning digital applications for a world-wide audience.