YOUNG people are aiming to improve their education and employabilityskills by organising an exhibition to celebrate the maritime history of Redcar and Cleveland.

The diploma in employment, training and personal development students from Redcar and Cleveland College will be taking part in the Heartstone Project, supported by Redcar and Cleveland Council, in a bid to put their organisational and enterprise skills to the test and network with employers.

They launched the project at Redcar Lifeboat Museum accompanied by Mayor Vic Jeffries, where they were able to take some inspiration from their coastal surroundings.

It is hoped dozens of businesses, organisations and individuals takepart in the Maritime Project Exhibition in June, where they will have the opportunity to showcase their own history and links to coastal east Cleveland.

About 15 students from the college are taking part in the project, which is designed to give them confidence, new skills and the enthusiasm to either enter the workforce or go on to further study.

Student Tamarah Hegarty, 17, of Carlin How, said: “I am privileged to have an opportunity to be working on this project as it will develop my enterprise and business skills. It will also develop my social skills and give me the necessary qualities to progress to further my dream of working in journalism.”

Fellow student Leon Forth, 16, from Marske, said: “This project is about gaining new skills and hopefully being better prepared for employment or Apprenticeship training Angela McLean, head of school for education and wellbeing, said the ultimate aim was to see the students either settled in work or full-time study."

Heartstone is a non-profit organisation that aims to break down barriers and improve communication among young people Redcar and Cleveland Council’s routes to employment team decided to bring the project to the borough to aid those young people who were not in education, training or work.