New direction for construction worker after boxing injury

ROOFER'S NOW SHARING HIS SKILLS

- By EMILY GRAY

Joe Hardingham

A MAN who left school at 16 with a single GCSE in maths is now teaching the next generation of construction workers.

Five years ago, Joe Hardingham from Gateshead dislocated his knee while training for a boxing match and found himself bedbound and without any income.

Joe, 24, said: "I was at a real crossroads in my life, and I was still just a teenager."

But after enrolling on a course with the goal of finding a career, Joe is instead now helping others launch their own careers after joining Optimum Skills as a short-course construction tutor.

For Joe, the joy is twofold, given he's not just helping change other people's lives for the better, but also his own.

He added: "I have people who come in on their first day and can't even pick up a hammer, and I'm helping them to eventually get on a site and make a proper living.

"The satisfaction I get from that is unmatched, but for myself, it has given me a totally different trajectory.