It can tough enough to try and get a job if you leave school with few qualifications - but if you're 17 and can't read or write and you don't believe you're capable of anything, it's almost impossible.
Just over a year ago, Charlotte Brady, who's now 18, from Leamington Spa, was in this difficult position but thanks to some basic training, she now has a job and has acquired a new-found thirst for learning!
Things seemed desperate to Charlotte and when she arrived at training providers Rathbone, she couldn't see any hope.
Her training adviser, Lindy Thomas: "Charlotte came to Rathbone with the opinion that she was stupid but we immediately told her that wasn't the case and set her a programme where she could learn reading and writing skills at her own pace."
| Μύ |  | Charlotte's hero, David Beckham
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From those first tentative steps into sorting her life out, Charlotte quickly grasped reading and writing skills and came on so quickly that she soon had a part time job in a care home - which allows her to continue learning.
She even bagged a national Rathbone learner of the month award last year, which saw her win a dream tour to Old Trafford, where she walked on the pitch and even got the chance to see the locker of her hero David Beckham in the Man United changing rooms.
ΜύHer rapid improvement and desire to learn and get on with her career has been held up as a shining example of how brushing up basic skills can make a life-changing difference by the Coventry-based Learning and Skills Council.
Lindy continued: "Charlotte has now found her own place to live, learnt valuable budgeting skills and has a real thirst for reading out-loud, as well as enjoying how to use a computer.
"She has been working extremely hard with her reading and is now able to create her own CV and it is great to see how she is now nearing the completion of the first few stages of her NVQ."
Charlotte's enthusiasm has seen her progress to the national finals of the Learner of the Year contest, to be held in March, but more importantly she is on the way to carving out her niche in the world.
ΜύIf you would like to discover more about basic skills training, call Lindy Thomas on 01926 331920.
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