He decided to channel his love of home DIY into a new career and graduated six weeks later with a recognised qualification, contacts at employers looking to recruit, and ambitions for full-time work in the industry.

Anthony said: “I have enjoyed every aspect of it. It has been hard work and intensive as there is a lot to learn in a short space of time but I feel now that I have got the confidence to go on to apply for full-time jobs or to move into self-employment.

“Qualifying will give me a foot in the door. You need a lot of patience and it is almost therapeutic when you are putting the plaster on but it is also quite physical too, which I enjoy.

“I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning a new trade.”

The course is delivered at Northumberland Skills’ specialist construction campus in Seghill, where there are also multi-skill, electrical, and construction courses running for school leavers.

Training is delivered by lecturer David Weatherburn, who congratulated Anthony and others for their “unbelievable” progress.

“This was the first cohort but we are going to run more courses. We have got the facility, we have got industry and employers on board.”

A key focus for Northumberland Skills is plugging skills gaps in the county’s industries. The organisation’s Welding and Fabrication Training Centre nearby at the Port of Blyth aims to address this in the manufacturing and green energy sectors.