TEENAGERS in Darlington are to be given the chance to study an alternative to traditional GCSE subjects.

The project, which links up Eastbourne School, Darlington Borough Council's Pupil Referral Unit and Darlington College, has given dozens of local pupils the chance to take up a range of vocational courses.

The scheme was launched after college representatives interviewed teenagers, aged 14 to 16, about the kind of curriculum they would like to follow.

Those who wanted to pursue vocational studies were offered accredited programmes in subjects ranging from catering and hairdressing to construction and sports, as well as providing key skills in maths, English and ICT.

Five groups of about 15 pupils have already started on the full-time Skills+ courses, under the supervision of staff from the council's Pupil Support Service, with the scheme's success also being monitored by both schools and college.

Chris McEwan, the council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "I am delighted to see the strong response the project has gained.

"The early stages have been a success and I hope the pupils taking up this opportunity go from strength to strength."