A teenager who was expelled from school is now on the road to a career as a mechanic thanks to a community garage scheme.

Jake Halpin is the latest success story to come out of the OnTrak initiative, an independent garage which offers training and activities for disaffected young people to help improve their job prospects.

The 17-year-old, from Bradford, is celebrating being hired as an apprentice technician at Tockwith Motor Sports driver and training facility, near York, following his time with OnTrak, at St Enoch’s Garage, Wibsey.

Jake joined OnTrak aged 15 after being expelled from St Bede’s School in Heaton due to his lack of tolerance for a classroom environment.

He said: “I really didn’t get on at school, but when I started at OnTrak I was able to really get stuck in and loved working with my hands. I helped the other mechanics out at first, but soon got to grips with the different jobs and loved the fact they could trust me to get on with things on my own.

“My family were really happy that OnTrak gave me the chance to turn my life around.”

Adrian Woods, operations manager at OnTrak, manages the training of young people and was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to disadvantaged people.

He said: “When the kids come to us they are really enthusiastic, we have no problems behaviour-wise. We can relate to them not being particularly good at school. From time to time their teachers will ring us half expecting them to have not turned up and then are surprised to see 100 per cent attendance with us.

“You find these kids are very good with their hands so when they come into our environment they just flourish.”

OnTrak, which has so far seen 100 per cent attendance from the young people it mentors, is one of the UK’s few not-for-profit garages and uses any revenue it generates through the workshop to help disadvantaged people in the local community get back on track with their lives. OnTrak also supports unemployed and disabled groups.

The garage is a member of Trust My Garage, an Independent Garage Association (IGA) scheme. Stuart James, a director at IGA, said: “In the case of OnTrak, customers know that their money is being ploughed straight back into the community.”

e-mail: rhys.thomas@telegraphandargus.co.uk