Joshua McKee, 20, from Barrow, recently completed a business course with Outreach and has gained a three-month work placement with B&Q.

When talking about the course, Joshua said: “I did a business administration course with the Outreach team which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a huge confidence boost and helped with my self-esteem.

“I liked meeting new people and being treated like an adult. It was employment-focused, and I learnt a set of workplace skills that have helped me secure a job at B&Q.”

He praised the help and support he received from Outreach and encouraged others to join their programme.

“I don’t think I could have done this without the wonderful staff at Outreach,” he said.

“I feel free and ready to enter the world of work and I’d advise anyone who was thinking about their next steps to try a course with Outreach as you never know where it might take you.”

Furness College announced Joshua’s achievement on social media.

“Well done to our Outreach student Joshua McKee who used his skills from the Business Admin qualification to secure a job.”

The announcement of his success attracted various messages of congratulations on social media.

Joshua’s father James praised his son’s accomplishment as well as B&Q for giving him the opportunity.

He said: “My wife and I are so very proud of his achievements. We’d really like to thank the college for all the help they gave him, and a special thank you to B&Q for taking him on.

“It’s a great opportunity for him. Joshua has autism so something like this is a really big achievement and we are so proud of him.

“He started the job on Monday just gone.

“It’s the gardening side he’s really taken to. He’s very meticulous and orderly as a person and that helps with the role.

“We are so proud of him and everything he has done. Thank you to the college and B&Q. Well done Joshua.”

Rachael Shields, of the Adult Outreach team at Furness College, said: “Josh is a brilliant lad. He started our Business Administration course in September and has progressed rapidly since then.

"At first he was unsure about the adult environment, having been used to traditional a college setting. Soon he began to flourish and enjoyed creating his own learning plan and having control over his timetable.

"He started the course working primarily with a 1:1 but by the end of the course he was proficient in independent research and had so much confidence in his own knowledge and understanding that he managed to cut his 1:1 time in half.

"I am so proud of how far Josh has come and was absolutely over the moon to learn he had found a job.

"I wish him every success.”