Kieran Hunt is a young man on a mission who has defied his years by becoming the youngest person from his training provider to complete a Management Level 4 course.

At just 18 when he started the course at Itec Skills and Employment in Cardiff, Kieran, who is from Caerleon, completed it in six months and is well on his way to realising his dream of eventually working in sales or project management overseas in the future.

He said: “This qualification has not only helped me improve my skills and understanding but it also proved that age should not be a barrier to complete a higher level qualification.”

Now Kieran has been named a finalist in this year’s Vocational Qualification (VQ) Awards in Wales, which are designed to reward individuals and organisations for their commitment, hard work and achievements.

The awards ceremony will be held at The Exchange Hotel, Cardiff on May 3 to coincide with VQ Day. The awards are organised by the Welsh Government in partnership with the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), ColegauCymru / CollegesWales and Qualifications Wales.

A VQ Learner of the Year - Higher finalist, the 19-year-old from Caerleon, Newport, has recently taken on a new position at Hughes Forrest, in Blackwood, doing kitchen and bathroom design and sales. But in his previous role at A J Tensile, in Caldicot, he impressed with his willingness to go the other extra mile.

When a colleague fell ill, he took on a two-person workload alongside his initial Level 3 Business qualification at no cost to the company, as he saw it as an opportunity to develop.

On completing his qualification, he proved his efficient management of several workloads, influencing the start of his ILM Management Level 4 qualification.