A BUSINESS college is set to become the North-East’s first Studio School, offering work and life skills training to hundreds of teenagers.

The Durham Federation school has secured £650,000 in Government funding to transform unused buildings at its Durham Community Business College, in Ushaw Moor, near Durham, into one of only a handful of Studio Schools being piloted across the country.

The concept, pioneered by the Studio Schools Trust based on research from New York and Australia, involves creating small ‘schools within schools’, where up to 300 youngsters aged 14 to 19 get class- and work-based training to prepare them for employment.

Leaders hope DCBC’s Studio School will offer IT, business studies, construction and engineering and land-based courses to 300 extra teenagers by 2015, beginning with 30-40 in September.

Youngsters will still study the national curriculum but will do more work experience.

The project has been about three years in the planning. The refurbished buildings could open in December.

Anne Lakey, chief executive of the Durham Federation - which also includes Fyndoune Community College, in Sacriston, said it was an opportunity to increase educational choice for parents and students in Durham.

"The new Studio School should see more students stay on longer in education and be better prepared for the future," she added.

Trevor Dunn, principal of Durham Federation, said Studio Schools with a vocational flavour had produced much accelerated outcomes, in terms of academic results and developing young people’s personalities.

The move was welcomed by Roberta Blackman-Woods, Labour MP for Durham City.

She said: "I am absolutely delighted by the news that DCBC will become a Studio School. This will hopefully be of huge benefit to young people in the area who will have greater opportunities to develop the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

"I’d like to pay tribute to Anne Lakey and all senior staff at the school for their tremendous hard work and persistence to reach this point. At a time when youth unemployment is of great concern and opportunities for young people are sadly diminished, this is a really positive announcement for Durham and its young people."