THE plan by East Lancashire Deaf Society to launch a new dedicated apprenticeship centre is a great idea.

The project is being launched to raise the employment prospects of the young deaf community in the North West.

The centre will provide deaf people with training and employment opportunities in the childcare, domiciliary care, joinery, catering, hospitality, IT and administration sectors.

It is also creating a carpentry training workshop, with professional equipment and a bespoke classroom for academic study including interactive whiteboards to aid learning.

The centre also aims to provide key skills required for successful completion of vocational qualifications in order for apprentices to be able to go onto mainstream employment.

A disability should never be seen as a barrier to getting on in life.

But sometimes just a little bit of extra help is needed.

The society’s long-term vision is that deaf people who use sign language become accepted as part of a diverse society.

The want to help people with hearing issues compete equally in the workplace.

That cannot happen quickly enough.