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(man 1) Our project is Pitstop
in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
We've been running here
for nearly ten years.
It was set up to address the problems
of big redundancies at BAA Systems,
which used to employ upwards of 15,000
and now employs 5,000.
It's aimed at mostly
years ten and eleven at school
to provide them with alternative education
and vocational training.
When the lads come to Pitstop for one day,
they do half a day with me in the workshop
and we have a fully qualified IT teacher
and they do half a day with Ian as well.
He teaches all the road safety
and about insurance and things,
the paperwork side of the motor trade
and owning a motor car if you will,
and also a lot of health and safety.
Catching them at the age 14, 15,
they're on the verge
of getting into trouble.
They're at risk of exclusion from school.
So finding something that interests them
and pointing out that it's not school,
that it is a workplace, and getting them
to behave in a proper manner,
we do see a big change in them
over the nine months of the school year.
I think it's sometimes a trade-off.
They realise that they have
the opportunity to go into the garage,
so they're willing
to put up with the academic level of work
that they're doing.
I think they tend to learn quite a lot.
They get a sense of fulfilment
out of that.
So if a car failed its MOT,
then I could fix it.
When I realise it's passed,
that would be really good.
Say he can't do something and I can,
then I'll be able to do it.
If I can't do something and he can,
then it's a good team.
It's just working with your hands.
You've always got something to do
and you don't get bored.
You get a qualification at the end of it.
Keep out of trouble.
(man 2) A lot of them have potential.
It's whether they have guidance.
Hopefully at Pitstop
we can give them a bit of that
and a little bit of self esteem, really,
and realise that there is work out there
if you want it,
but you've got to work for it to get it.
Without the Big Lottery Fund,
we wouldn't be here, end of.
Without that money
we probably we wouldn't be doing this now,
we wouldn't be able to offer
the same service we do now.
There would be no Pitstop.
Last year we had 41 young people
go through qualifications
and they got 299 between the lot of them.
These are up in college Level 1.
They all keep coming in,
saying, "When do I get my qualifications?"
Just by listening to them,
they get a sense of fulfilment
and a sense of achievement as well,
which is brilliant.
(man 1)The best part is when
we get youngsters coming back
after they've finished
to say that they've got a job.
The ones that come back
to say, "Thanks for helping me fill a CV,"
and, "Thanks for getting me
through a difficult patch,"
and that's the most rewarding bit.