A SCHOOL is helping pioneer a scheme aimed at making its students more employable.

North East Construction Training (NECT) has been developed to help youngsters gain key skills such as construction, highway maintenance, plant, fencing and management training.

Deerness Valley Comprehensive School, at Ushaw Moor, helped by The Esh Group has joined in a partnership with the NECT.

Much of the project has been devised by the NECT but pupils have helped assess and fine tune the course.

This week those taking part in the project visited NECT's training centre at Tursdale near Durham. Organisers believe giving the youngsters a sense of responsibility ensures teamwork between the training provider and the candidates.

The project is run in three stages. The first is a general approach which can be tailored to suit any industry or employer. Stage two is more specific to a particular industry and stage three puts into practice all the skills which have been gained.

The scheme has been granted National Pathfinder Status.

It is open to 14 to 18-year-olds, boys and girls, pupils with severe learning difficulties and disabilities and all other students. The course is now available to other schools.