Sheila Hollern's confidence took a battering as a teen as she struggled through her school years with literacy, not knowing she had the learning difficulty.

But more than 30 years later, she signed herself up to a course at South Tyneside College, helping her manage the condition and gaining the qualifications she needs to move forward in her job as a classroom assistant at Biddick Hall Infants School.

And thanks to her new-found literacy skills, the 50-year-old is also writing word-perfect love letters to her husband David, who works away.

The mum-of-two, from Carroll Walk, South Shields, who previously worked as a factory machinist, said: "Everyone at Biddick Hall Infants kept on saying that I should push myself further and have more confidence in my abilities.

"The response from my family has been the best bit, my husband works at sea and we often write to each other, he has noticed a massive improvement in my confidence and literacy skills.

"My 14-year-old daughter has told me that I have inspired her to do the best she can, that alone makes it all worth it."

Mrs Hollern always suspected she was dyslexic but had her suspicions confirmed when she enrolled in a college course two years ago.

She had been working at Biddick Hall Infants as a classroom assistant for almost a decade when staff encouraged her to enrol on the NVQ Level 2 teaching assistants' course and the Skills for Life literacy qualification at South Tyneside College, through the Train to Gain programme.

A dyslexia specialist tailored a course to suit her needs and now she's progressed to her Level 3 qualification and is about to complete her literacy exams.

Sue Hawley, a lecturer for the employment engagement and delivery department, said: "Sheila has been a pleasure to teach; she always goes the extra mile in all her work and really tries hard.

"When she was diagnosed with dyslexia, we began to teach her methods to work with the condition rather than fight it. Simple techniques have allowed her to make huge progress."

Mrs Hollern is now organising and managing a child and parent cooking club at the infants in Galsworthy Road school.

Heateacher Myra Edwards said: "Sheila has become much more confident in her own abilities and this has changed her whole outlook on what she can achieve in her career.

"She meets new challenges confidently and is always willing to ask for assistance where necessary. Sheila uses her own initiative and is quick to learn from others.

"This change would not have come about without the sensitive support and direction given by South Tyneside College.

"Other members of my staff have now been inspired to look into what training they can do to improve their skills."

This week marks the British Dyslexia Association's Dyslexia Awareness Week.

For more information about Train to Gain and the training courses offered for businesses at the college, call 427 3696 or e-mail cdu@stc.ac.uk