Some well-placed advice helped budding Gwent poet, Carl Griffin, to find the rhythm he needed to switch from laying bricks to constructing rhymes.

Originally enrolled on a bricklaying course, it quickly became obvious both to Sarah and his advisers at Bridge Training that this was not where Carl's main talents lay and he was moved onto an NVQ level 1 in IT.

By giving him the opportunity to learn how to operate computers, Carl's writing talents were unleashed and he has continued to write a range of poetry about teenage issues and about his home town of Newport - including its renowned riverside Wave sculpture.

He said, "I get inspired to write by typing in random words and then I just use them to write my poems. I am also writing a novel about young offenders who take over their institution and run it themselves. I hope to continue to write teenage fiction as I enjoy reading it myself and it is something which I understand."

Sarah Jane said, "Carl really is a talented writer, but he needed to be helped along to build up his confidence. I worked closely with him and Bridge Training to help identify how best to help him get his career underway.

"Often with Youth Gateway it is essential to really get to know the person and help them in a highly individual way. Often the young people I work with haven't succeeded in a traditional school environment and so we need to make sure that our advice is specifically tailored to their needs - something which we can only achieve through ongoing communication."

Youth Gateway is supported by the European Social Fund.