AS THE Prince’s Trust celebrates its 40th anniversary, this year sees City College Brighton and Hove mark five years of the programme.

During the five years the college has been delivering the scheme, the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the dedicated team has seen 758 young people across Sussex complete the programme.

The Prince’s Trust Team programme is a 12-week personal development course for 16 to 25 year olds which helps unemployed young people gain the skills and confidence to find a job.

Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, training or education.

To match the five years of the Prince’s Trust at City College, they have rounded up their five favourite success stories.

Here, we have a look at the journey of Abdulai Sesay, 18, from Hove, who started on the programme when he was just 16.

At the time, he had only been in the UK for three weeks having moved from Sierra Leone after a family death.

The Youth Employability Service referred him to The Prince's Trust to improve his English and to help him make friends in Brighton.

He said: “It really improved my confidence by allowing me to work with others.

“I could hardly speak any English when I started and now I'm able to speak fluently and also use a computer, which I'd never done before I came to the UK.”

Since completing the Team programme, Abdulai has gone on to study full-time on a Level Two Business course at City College while also working as a sales assistant for Sports Direct.

Looking back at highlights of being on Team, Abdulai said his best memory was the final presentation where he spoke publicly about his journey on the programme.

“I felt able to express myself by doing a speech and was confident that I could tell my story,” he said.

“Compared to how I was when I started Team, I now feel like a totally different person.

“I'm in a new place in my life - I work, I'm at college and I have my own place. I’m very happy.”

City College Brighton and Hove is attempting to plug the gaps in education its CEO Nick Juba thinks youngsters are missing out on.

In an exclusive interview with The Argus, he said: "We’ve got schools with sixth form colleges, we’ve got separate colleges, so like all the other institutions we’re wanting as many of those students to come to us.

"One of the things I do have a problem with is that I’m not always sure that competition has the best interests of students.

"I don’t always feel there is always good advice and guidance about the various routes they can take.

"We need more apprenticeships.

"The skill shortage in this country is not at graduate level.

"They are technician-level jobs.

"All the research shows that, if anything, we have an over-supply of graduates."