YOUNG offenders in Huddersfield are being encouraged to steer clear of crime by the work of a charity.
Developing Initiatives Supporting Communities (Disc) aims to use education and training to reduce re-offending.
Shirley Riley, of Disc's First Rung Yorkshire Project, said the organisation worked with about 1,200 people a year and about 30 a month from the Huddersfield area.
She said the programme aimed to encourage clients to either take up college places or gain employment.
It offered support in the form of interview skills and form-filling as well as advice about the type of jobs to apply for.
"About 30% of everyone we see has problems with literacy and numeracy and has no qualifications. Many have either left school early or been excluded from school."
Mrs Riley said community-based education centres such as those offered at Huddersfield Technical College helped clients as they often felt more relaxed there than in a formal classroom setting.
She said the organisation's success with literacy and numeracy were consistent with 210 clients in West Yorkshire gaining some form of qualification last year.
This figure had remained consistent for the past three years.
Mrs Riley said it was difficult gaining employment for clients due to the shortage of suitable jobs.
But she said one of the organisation's greatest recent successes was a young man who had trained and was now qualified as a tree surgeon.
"Our staff are very passionate about what they do and we are very client centred. It is extremely rewarding working with disadvantaged groups such as these," she added.
