STUDENTS from Waltham Forest College have successfully completed a mentoring scheme set up by a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer.

A total of nine students took part in the scheme, called Aiming Higher, which was set up by Waltham Forest prosecutor Pauline Curtis.

It was set up with the aim of “empowering young people to make positive life choices”.

Ms Curtis ran the scheme alongside seven other prosecutors from around London, including the borough's crown prosecutor Antony Salmon.

Lasting five months, the nine students, aged 18 and 19, were linked with a role model or mentor, spending four hours a month together.

During this time, they took part in career planning and goal setting exercises and were also allowed to spend time in their mentors' workplaces.

Pauline Curtis said: “I first had experience of a mentor in 2004 and it changed my whole life. Most importantly, the mentor gave me confidence and I want to give young people the same opportunity to succeed.

“The scheme has drawn attention and we are hoping to expand to include more students at Waltham Forest College and to launch the initiative at Greenwich University in the autumn.

“I may have developed the programme but its success is down to the partnership working within the community, not the individuals involved.”