A YOUNG man who witnessed his grandfather being killed by a dangerous driver has overcome the odds to carve out a career for himself.

David O'Boyle, from Middlesbrough, was left suffering from post-traumatic stress after his grandfather was killed when he was 14.

He was unable to attend Macmillan College, Middlesbrough, on a regular basis and left two years later without a qualification.

But he decided he wanted to honour his grandfather's memory by getting vocational training and finding employment.

He was referred to the Middlesbrough branch of Protocol Skills, formerly known as Spring Skills, which provides vocational training to young people across the country.

Rather than being placed with an employer, David, now 19, was taken on by Protocol Skills to do clerical work in its Middlesbrough office.

After two years, he has completed a national traineeship in customer service and an NVQ Level 2 in business administration, and is now working towards an Advanced Modern Apprenticeship.

He said: "I was very stressed after my grandfather's death, but Protocol Skills really helped me and I love my job.

"I now want to repay what they have done for me by taking on more challenging roles within the company and helping other young people."

Christine Watson, Protocol Skills regional director, said: "David is very different from the shy boy who first came to us, and is an example of how Protocol Skills can help young people who, for whatever reason, haven't had the same opportunities as others."

Protocol provides training opportunities for more than 22,000 young people, aged 16 to 25, each year. The company has 100 centres, and also helps businesses, including River Island, McDonalds, Vodafone and BSM, train their employees