A SOLDIER is proud of his progress in the army, after dreaming of wearing the greens since he was a child.

Scott Dean, 17, from Aspatria, completed his passing out from the Army training college in Harrogate on February 13, just six months after he started.

He is looking towards a career as a vehicle mechanic and will complete a 10-month training course before going out into the field.

The training at Harrogate was a shock to his system at first, but the change he has undergone is noticeable both to himself and his family.

Scott said: “It’s been my dream since I was a boy to join the army and at one point I was at the crossroads of going either the right or the wrong way.

“Going to the college changed that and put me in the right direction, so it was a great sense of pride.

“At the end of it all, it’s all worth it.”

His mum, Mary Dean, is incredibly proud of her son for passing out from the college and wholeheartedly supports him.

Despite some initial problems settling into the college routine, he quickly reached a turning point and took it within his stride to adapt..

“I’m very proud that he actually achieved what he set out to achieve because there was a time when I didn’t think he would do it,” she said.

“As a family, we are all with him, we are all backing him.”

The military discipline and responsibility that comes with serving the country pushed him to grow up and mature.

Within six months, there was complete transformation of his attitude.

He said: “I haven’t got that childish attitude.

“There are still little spurts of childish moments but I have to be a lot more grown-up now because there is a lot more responsibility on my shoulders.

“I’m serving the great nation we live in so it comes with that great sense of pride and responsibility.”

Mary added: “Everything has changed, the way he stands, the way he speaks, every single thing about him has changed.”

Now, he will move on to gaining his qualifications to be a vehicle mechanic.

Potentially travelling around the world with the infantry is also appealing but he wants something to show for the time he will spend in the army.

“It’s the qualifications that you gain if I went into infantry and came out after four years I’ve not really got anything to show for it,” he said.

“But if I come out as a vehicle mechanic, I come out with qualifications in vehicle mechanics so that’s a big appeal.”

Scott was a cadet before taking his oath of allegiance in September alongside other recruits from across north Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.

Taking part in the cadets is an experience he would recommend to anyone but there’s a certain mindset needed to properly thrive.

He believes that it shouldn’t be taken too seriously but you can’t be completely blasé about it.

“It’s a great thing for young kids to do, it gets them off the streets and knocking around on street corners, getting into trouble,” he said.