When 17 year old Maria Fletcher from Monmouth left school earlier this year she was unsure about where her future would take her.

Now, only a few months later, the former Monmouth school pupil is attending a full time course at Crosskeys College and is hoping to fulfil her dreams of becoming a jewellery maker.

Her Careers Wales Gwent Adviser Adrian Summers explained, "Maria was a special needs pupil at school and was very uncertain about what to do when the time came for her to leave. She had never thought about going to college because she didn't realise that there were courses out there to suit her needs."

Maria is now enrolled on an ASDAN Youth Award course which will equip her with basic life skills.

She said, "I was the only one from my school to come to college at Crosskeys and to begin with I was very nervous. Now I have made lots of new friends on the course and I am really enjoying my lessons."

As part of her course Maria is learning vital independence skills from cookery to handling money and basic IT.

Already making beaded jewellery as a hobby, Maria hopes that the new skills that she is developing as part of her course will enable her to sell her products on her grandparents' stall at Abergavenny market.

Adrian commented, "Maria has really settled in at college and is doing well with her course. She will continue to see a Careers Wales Gwent Adviser throughout her time here and hopefully she will soon be well on the way to achieving her goals."