A tutor has helped people with experience of homelessness achieve more than 400 qualifications.
Ken Bates, a specialist tutor who began delivering training at Emmaus Lancashire in 2016, has supported residents of the charity to earn national vocational qualifications and complete courses in maths and English over the past decade.
Emmaus Lancashire provides supported accommodation and tailored support to up to 50 people who have experienced homelessness, with education and training forming a key part of its services.
Mr Bates said: "Qualifications, such as NVQs, are competency and skills-based.
"That means you can't learn everything simply by sitting in a classroom.
"You need the opportunity to demonstrate what you know and what you can do.
"That's where Emmaus’s social enterprise comes in."
Mr Bates recently announced his retirement.
He said: "It isn’t just about completing coursework.
"It tells you that someone has reached a point where they believe they can do it."
During his time with the charity, more than 100 residents have gained qualifications in areas such as warehouse and storage, customer service, employability, maths, and English.
At the Emmaus Department Store in Preston, residents gain practical work experience and develop skills in customer service, teamwork, stock handling, warehousing, and recycling.
Marcus, a resident who earned an NVQ in Customer Service, praised Mr Bates’ teaching.
He said: "Ken’s brilliant. I want to be a wagon driver in the future, and I’ll need customer service because I’ll be talking to customers directly and over the phone.
"I want to keep my level of professionalism high."
Another resident, Calvin, also gained employability and customer service NVQs with Mr Bates’ support.
He said: "It will definitely help my future options in retail after Emmaus.
"I found Ken resourceful; he was knowledgeable about the qualifications, so I knew we were in good hands."
Stephen Buchanan, chief executive officer of Emmaus Lancashire, said Mr Bates had made a lasting impact.
He said: "Thanks to Ken’s training and the support Emmaus provides, people have gone on to use these qualifications in the future.
"We’ve received such positive feedback about Ken and the work he has done over the years.
"We’d like to thank Ken for providing qualifications that recognise the valuable skills, work experience, and opportunities people build at Emmaus on a daily basis to create a brighter future for themselves."
Emmaus Lancashire will continue to offer NVQ training and other courses following Mr Bates’ retirement.
More information can be found here: Emmaus.org.uk/Lancashire.
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