FUTURE engineers are being given a helping hand thanks to a £270,000 project.

South-West Durham Training's School for Skills opened yesterday in a refurbished annex of the Newton Aycliffe-based training centre.

The scheme gives 14 to 19-year-old engineering and technology students practical experience.

Head of operations Ann Cant said: "We have worked with schools for a long time now, but with the new purposely revamped facility it is something we will be developing further still.

"We do have experience of dealing with 16-year-olds, but there is some difference in terms of behaviour with 14-year-olds.

"When they come, they come with their teachers and our staff are able to go into schools and shadow teachers.

"Certainly we have been running GCSEs in engineering subjects, but we can do the cleaner side of engineering and we are trying to encourage girls into engineering too.

"And now with this facility, and our GVNQs and foundation degrees, we are able to offer a route through from 14-years-old to degree level."

The skills school was funded by One NorthEast, the training centre and Durham County Council Economic Partnership.

Prior to the opening of the school for skills, the training centre worked with Woodham Community Technology College and Greenfield School Community and Arts College, both in Newton Aycliffe.

Eric Crawford, a teacher at Woodham, said: "It's a fantastic facility and a very worthwhile project. The students love coming here.

"We have some of our year ten and 11 students studying here at the moment and we are able to do the theory side of the subjects in the classroom before coming here to use the workshop.

"We have been coming here for two years, before the building was finished, and we have just started to see some of those first students go into apprenticeships, which is great and what it was all about."