Eight young men from Manningham have become the first successful graduates of a ground-breaking training scheme.

Three years ago the youngsters were trainees, with no qualifications - now they are qualified motor mechanics working at a range of local firms.

They owe their success to businessman Tariq Mahmood who secured regeneration cash to set up the training project three years ago.

He is delighted his faith in the youngsters has been repaid - although only eight of the original ten stayed the course, it was a much better-than-average rate.

The training scheme was based at his own business, Autotech in Ambler Street, where trainees learnt for one day and one evening per week with Bradford College teacher John Mickle.

Four days a week the youngsters worked at a range of local firms.

In the first year, their wages were paid by cash from the Manningham and Girlington Single regeneration budget cash, but for years two and three, while they worked towards their NVQ Level 3 qualification, the firms paid. "It gave each lad a chance to show what he could do," Mr Mahmood said.

"They are now all in jobs in reputable companies, including the local Volvo, Toyota and Mitsubishi dealerships."

The trainees also benefited from input from the Bradford Youth Development Partnership, which helped to coach them in personal development and team work. The group play five-a-side football one night a week and have taken part in residential activity weekends in the Dales - for many, the first time they had been away from home.

"These lads walked away from school with no qualifications, no job, nowhere to go," Mr Mickle said. "We wanted to get young people that we knew wouldn't have gone to college, they couldn't have put up with the formality of it all, but here they're doing exactly the same thing but in their own environment."

It hasn't all been plain sailing as leaders of the scheme admit. On more than one occasion, trainees who have failed to turn up in the morning have found Mr Mahmood on their doorstep. "Some lads have taken a lot of work, one in particular was a bit mouthy but he now gets top marks," he said.

In another success story, one trainee is thinking of taking his studies further by enrolling at Huddersfield University to do an insurance assessor's course.

David Evans, service manager at Hepworth Mitsubishi in Keighley Road, Bradford, now employs one of the successful graduates, Shafiq Rehman, pictured.

He said: "Because I know Tariq personally, when he said he had some trainees, I said no problem at all. I think all the trainees are from the local, Manningham area, our lad Shafiq just lives a couple of streets away. He came to us as a first year trainee and he has been through the whole scheme.

"He probably wouldn't have got the chance normally. We would certainly consider taking part in a scheme like this again."

Shafiq, 19, said: "I'm a technician now and it's going well. The training was good experience and I enjoyed it. John and Tariq at Autotech have become good friends of mine.