A LIVERPOOL woman who left school without any qualifications has scooped one of the UK’s top training awards.

Pat Shea-Halson, who owns the Centre for Personal Development in Liverpool, was presented with two awards by former athlete Colin Jackson at The National Training Awards in Manchester. She won the National Training Award for the North West Region and the UK National Training Award for Exceptional Achievement. The awards are run by UK Skills on behalf of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Ms Shea-Halson, who is chair of Train 2000, the women-only enterprise agency which helped her set up and expand the business, said she hopes the award will be an inspiration to other women like herself.

“It is wonderful to be recognised on both a personal and professional level. I left school without any formal qualifications and started work in a factory.

“Gradually I challenged myself to learn more and more until I achieved my dream of qualifying as a counsellor and was able to set up my own businesses training others.”

She now goes forward to the national awards in London on December 11.