A COLLEGE has won a £75,000 BT Lifelong Learning Award to team up with Middlesbrough Football Club in an initiative that uses football to encourage young adults to learn new skills.

The initiative, Football First, will be aimed at men aged 18 to 25, particularly those who are unemployed. They will develop basic and key skills, get to grips with information technology and boost their employability.

Football will be fully integrated into the course at Stockton and Billingham College, with literacy and numeracy sessions set in a footballing context.

Football-based computer packages will be used to switch students on to technology.

Students will also be able to develop their skills in the game itself, as they will have access to the club's sporting facilities and the chance to work towards a sports leader award.

Phil Hastie, project coordinator at Stockton and Billingham College, said: "By tapping into people's passion for football we are going to help them realise their potential in all sorts of areas."

Anyone interested in finding out more about Football First should contact Mr Hastie on (01642) 865593.