First Leeds driver Ashley Pickering, has received an award after going the extra mile to gain new qualifications, following a struggle with dyslexia from an early age.
Ashley has been announced as the winner of the Festival of Learning Regional Learning for Work award in the Northern region for his achievements in adult learning.
The award celebrates those who have worked hard to improve their employment prospects through further education and lifelong learning.
Subjects included: Maths, English and ICT, and a variety of vocational short courses at the First Group Academy. Through the support from the funded learning team, Ashley was able to gain an apprenticeship in Passenger Carrying Vehicle, which is equivalent to five GCSE’s and enabled him to gain his functional skills in literacy and numeracy.
Ashley says: “I feel more confident and assertive and I am enjoying the challenges learning brings.”