AN INSPIRATIONAL Newport woman who turned her life around with help from The Prince’s Trust is in the running to win one of the charity’s major prizes.

Catherine Burt, 24, from Bettws Hill, Bettws is one of three young Welsh people shortlisted for the Samsung Young Achiever of Year Award at The Prince’s Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success Awards on Thursday.

The awards ceremony, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, will take place at The Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

Catherine had wanted to become a parole officer after taking her degree in Criminology and Youth Justice at the University of Newport in Caerleon. But in her final year her confidence was dented after she went to visit her father at his home to find out he had died. She blamed herself for not returning sooner.

She took time away from her studies and was given an extension to her dissertation, had six sessions of bereavement counselling but on completing her degree was unable to find a job.

Eventually she regained her confidence after seven months out of work with the Get into Hospitality programme, a two week programme held at the Cardiff City Stadium organised by The Prince’s Trust.

Despite her emotional trauma, she remained optimistic and developed leadership skills. She is still in regular touch with some of the people she met on the course on Facebook.

She said: “Get into Hospitality helped me rebuild my confidence and gave me the skills I needed to get work.

“They made me feel valued, and that was amazing in helping boost my confidence and self-esteem. For the first time in months, I felt like I was good at something.”

After completing the programme, Catherine secured a contract position as an administrative assistant at a local home care home and within three months she was promoted to care co-ordinator. When her contract ended, she found a permanent job as a care assistant at Care UK.

And she recently secured her dream job in the criminal justice system and works in Newport.

The Samsung Young Achiever of the Year Award seeks to recognise young people who have managed to struggle through difficulties to transform their lives and have also had a positive impact on their local community.

The Prince's Trust said that three out of four people who take part in their training programmes find employment.

Grants from the charity are available to young people who are aged between 14 and 16 who are not expecting to achieve five GCSEs and those between 16 and 25 who are not in education, training or working less than 16 hours a week.