A film academy has given students with autism “life-changing” opportunities to work in front of and behind the camera.

Staff at Blaenau Gwent Film Academy in Tredegar decided to start offering apprenticeships after students told them they wanted to further their careers but did not have the confidence to go to college.

Two people with autism have now completed their first year and earned diplomas.

A charity praised the scheme, saying just 30% of people with autism were in work.

There are estimated to be about 700,000 people with autism in the UK and it can make it hard for them to communicate and interact, or increase the time needed to understand information.

Michael Speck is an apprentice editor at the academy, which opened in February 2018.

He said it had helped him “gain more confidence and socialise much better with other people”.

He is considering a career in the creative industry and hopes to do “acting, editing and more stuff like that”.

“This place has given me a lot of opportunities. It’s given me skills I wouldn’t have had if I was by myself,” he added.

Sophie Hill also works at the academy and said it had been life-changing for her.

“This place is where I thrived because I really liked the camera work and the acting,” she said.

“I love the whole process of creating and using these things, and as I was getting older I was like this is what I want to do.”

The work that Sophie does with young people at the academy, and being part of production at the film school, has helped her gain confidence.

“The apprenticeship was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said.

“It helped me with my stammer as well because I’ve had to do things like presentations.”

Sophie is gaining skills in all aspects of film and theatre but is starting to consider what her options are for the future.

She feels that more could be done to encourage people with autism to get in to the arts.

“We have got many kids here with autism and this academy is where people with autism and all these other conditions can start,” she said.

Both students have just completed their first year of apprenticeships and earned diplomas in media production.

Kevin Phillips, head tutor, said the apprenticeship scheme came along as a result of their experiences.

“We had two of our longstanding students who said they wanted to further their career in film but at the time I don’t think they had the confidence to go to college or get involved in college life,” he said.

“So we sat down with the parents and they said ‘what can we do? “

Alan Terrell is a film tutor who worked with Michael and Sophie during the past year, and said the “beauty of film making is there’s a role for everybody”.

James Radcliffe of the National Autistic Society (NAS) said only 30% of people with autism were in work and the gap “is one of the biggest of all disabled people”.

“Research by NAS shows that autistic people want to work across every sector, with as many wanting to work in the creative industries as in tech,” he added.

The Welsh government said it was committed to improving the lives of autistic people and access to significant employment opportunities was a vital part of this.