YOUNG people in Bromsgrove who have been working towards a qualification to improve their office skills have recently been rewarded for their efforts.

A presentation was held at Bromsgrove School, Worcester Road, to celebrate the achievement of 26 young employees between 16 and 25 years old, who had achieved a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) for their work-based learning.

The event, opened by the general manager of Topskills, Maureen Dillon, was attended by candidates and their employers.

Area operations manager of the Learning and Skills Council for Hereford and Worcester, Terry Owen, spoke about Government strategy towards work-based learning and assessment.

Managing director of Commercial Credit Services, Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, David Groves, presented the awards.

Kim Powers, aged 18 of Links Drive, Rubery, who works for Haden Insolvency, Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, was pleased to receive her level two NVQ in Business Administration at the presentation.

She said: "It's a great achievement, it will be really useful to put on my CV for the future because it has helped me learn all sorts of office skills."

The courses, taken through Topskills in New Road, take up to two years to complete and cover customer service skills, information technology, business administration, accounting and retail.