ONE of the country’s oldest apprentices is sharpening his skills in a new role helping keep people safe in their homes.

Dave Johnson, 69, a former crisp factory worker, is undertaking an apprenticeship in customer service to help him in his new role as volunteer co-ordinator at Cleveland Fire Support Network, which works alongside the fire brigade carrying out home fire safety visits.

His apprenticeship is being run by Groundwork NE and Cumbria, which is delivering 100 apprenticeships in partnership with New College Durham by the end of the year.

Lisa Mannion, Mr Johnson’s assessor from Groundwork, said: “Dave is proof that it’s never too late to learn new skills, retrain to do another a job, or even change your career path.”

Mr Johnson said: “Before I retired, I’d never had a customer-facing role before, so I didn’t have any real customer service skills.

“But the training I’ve received has given me new skills and confidence.

“It’s great that at nearly 70, I’m learning new skills.”