YOUNGSTERS are exploring careers in the tourism and leisure industries.

Students from several secondary schools in Hartlepool are studying for a vocational GCSE in leisure and tourism.

In a pilot project to help them with their research, some of those students are taking part in three days of activities to give them a taste of the industries in action.

They are visiting tourist and leisure sites in the town, including Hartlepool Historic Quay, HMS Trincomalee, Summerhill and Hartlepool Marina, to meet staff and find out more about how they are run and promoted.

They will also spend time at the Education Through Newspapers classroom at Hartlepool United's Victoria Park Stadium, where they will produce a newsletter about their experiences.

The pupils will be shadowed and helped by students from Hartlepool College of Further Education who are studying for a BTEC in tourism.

The programme has been developed by Hartlepool Borough Council in partnership with learn2work, a learning organisation which aims to forge closer links between education and business.

Christine Thompson, learn2work general manager, said: "Visits like these enable students to see what they are studying in the classroom being applied in the world of work, a stimulating and invaluable addition to their learning experience.

"People don't have to have an attraction such as the Millennium Eye on their doorstep to appreciate the benefits of a healthy and growing leisure and tourism industry."