MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club's adult learning project has been selected as a regional finalist in the National Training Awards.

Set up 18 months ago, it is a major honour for the Football First project because only 20 per cent of entrants throughout the UK reach this stage.

Football First uses football as a learning tool to raise basic skill levels and improve the health and fitness of young unemployed adults.

The National Training Awards are seen as the industry Oscars, recognising and rewarding organisations that develop new workplace skills.

Football First Manager Dawn Eccles said: "We are thrilled to be nominated as finalists. It is very unusual for first-time entrants such as ourselves to reach this stage in the awards.

"We believe our course is unique and the assessors obviously liked our presentation. Lots of students have benefited from our courses.

"To win an award would be an important mark of recognition for all we have achieved."

Football First joins high-profile employers such as GlaxoSmithKline and Stockton Riverside College in the regional finals to be held in Newcastle on October 21

Several regional finalists will go forward to the national awards in London on November 18 when those who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in training and personnel development will be honoured.

Adults who join the Football First project can obtain benefits, including the chance to gain a sports leader award.

There is an opportunity to develop a personal fitness portfolio and participants can improve their lifestyle using Premiership players' diet programmes.