I couldn't stand the heat but I stayed in the kitchen by finding a different job

But for David O'Brien, being a chef was becoming his worst nightmare. Leaving school aged 16, David went straight into the food industry, a career which saw him cooking his way around the world.

It may sound glamorous, but after almost 10 years of long, unsociable hours, too many cooks were certainly spoiling the broth for David.

"I couldn't see my career going anywhere," said the

25-year-old, of Skyrrold Road in Malvern.

"You have to have an incredible passion to be a successful chef, but for me the passion had well and truly burned out."

Certain he needed a new career path, the only problem facing David was that he wasn't sure which road to go down to find his dream job.

Confused, he set foot in his local JobCentre Plus, and has never looked back thanks to the Nextstep initiative, an advice service designed specifically to get adults back into learning and work.

Funded by the Learning

and Skills Council in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the service offers free face-to-face advice and support to people in the two counties who want to get back into the workplace or improve their career prospects.

It was Nextstep - run in partnership with Connexions, JobCentre Plus, the Citizens Advice Bureau, colleges and independent training and support agencies - which set David on a new career path.

"I had an interview and filled out a questionnaire on a computer that then came up with suggestions of jobs that might suit my personality and interests," he said.

"I'd toyed with the idea of going into kitchen design, and that was one of the options that came up.

"Then the people at Connexions helped me re-write my CV and do a covering letter and found 150 kitchen companies in the area."

Eager to get his foot in the door, David wrote off to

them all and offered to do work experience.

"I carried on working as a chef and spent six months doing work experience as a kitchen designer on my days off," said David.

And his initiative and hard work paid off when he was eventually hired as a

designer at Cathedral Kitchens in Malvern after impressing bosses at the firm.

He has gone on to complete courses in computer-aided design and is also set to do more training on projects on the Continent.

"I've been working at Cathedral Kitchens for three months now and I'm loving it," said David.

"It's great meeting new people and learning something new every day.

"I couldn't be happier and I would strongly recommend people look into Nextstep if they feel their current job is unrewarding."

Chris Jones, the manager of Nextstep in Worcestershire and Herefordshire, also emphasised it was never too late to realise your potential.

"Whether you feel that it

is a lack of relevant qualifications or self-confidence that is holding you back, Nextstep will help you find the path that suits you, from work based training to further education," he said.

Simply polishing up key skills can help to build

self-esteem, improve employability and get you one step closer to achieving career goals, he added.

"Many of us reflect on our learning choices as the kids head back to school, and often we regret not

working harder as teenagers, or going on to further education," said Chris.

"While it may be too late to change the past, it is never too late to work towards a better future.

"The Nextstep service recognises people's desire to make change and works to empower them to make good choices now.

"We already have a large number of success stories, like David, who have done just that."

l For more information about Nextstep please contact 0800 915 0032 or visit www.nextstephw.org.uk

the great skills shortage

Almost 23 per cent of Worcestershire people aged 16 to 60 have poor literacy.

Nearly 23 per cent of the same age range living in Worcestershire have a poor level of numeracy.

The Learning and Skills Council has made teaching basic skills a key priority.

The weekly wage for Worcester workers is below West Midlands averages.

In 2004, 6,000 people contacted one of the 20 Nextstep advisory services in the two counties.

Some 5,236 young people in the two counties are not in education or training.

where you can take your next step

Connexions Worcester, 10 Farrier Street, 01905 738900

Worcester Sixth Form College, Spetchley Road, 01905 362600

Worcester College of Technology, High Street, 01905 743503

Worcester YMCA, Henwick Road, 01905 423197

Evesham and Malvern Hills College, Davies Road, Evesham, 01386 712721;

Connexions Evesham, Swan Lane, 01386 444220

Community First, Church Street, Malvern, 01684 573337

Deaf Direct, Castle Street, Worcester, 01905 746301;

WTCS, Restdale House, Foregate Street, Worcester, 01905 731711

Connexions Kidderminster, 01562 820110

Kidderminster College, 01562 820811

Adult Guidance Centre, Hereford, 01432 365328;

Connexions Hereford, 01432 269404.