DIY star Gemma is building her life as an electrician . . .
GEMMA ScArlEtt loved fixing things around the house as a child and turned her ability into a skilled trade.
the 22- year- old apprentice electrician from Dagenham studies at Barking & Dagenham college one day a week. For the remainder, she joins the mechanical and electrical team at the london Borough of Barking & Dagenham council.
Gemma, who is three years into her four-year apprenticeship, is keen to encourage other young women to follow in her footsteps.
She says: ‘Being an electrician for me was an excellent career choice; I am naturally very practical and no two days are the same.
‘It is a very useful trade to have and there is a variety of work that I do daily, which makes the job interesting.
‘ I am currently working in domestic properties on door entry systems, as well as re- wiring vacant and occupied properties for the council.’
She adds: ‘ My mum was always encouraging me to get into construction from an early age, as I was always building and fixing things around the house. And my dad is happy for me, too, as he knows that this is a great opportunity for my future career prospects.
‘I am very optimistic about the future, as long as I keep putting in the hard work. My final exam is late next year.
‘I want to be really good at my job as an electrician, and I hope to be a manager running my own business one day.’
Sarah Kennedy, training, wellbeing and apprenticeships manager at the council, says: ‘Apprenticeships are great, as students get a blend of classroom and on-the-job learning, plus they get to know the organisation inside and out and decide whether it really is the career for them.
‘they also learn other important skills such as customer service that employers need.
‘It’s a win-win situation for young people like Gemma and for organisations such as the london Borough of Barking & Dagenham.’
Meanwhile, Dilani Selvanathan has started a degree apprenticeship at the BBc, working with the weather and news website team.
She is also undertaking a BSc in digital and technology solutions at Queen Mary University of london.
She secured the degree apprenticeship after studying engineering, mathematics and computer science at Heathrow Aviation Engineering Utc.
She says: ‘I didn’t want to go down the pure university route as I didn’t want to get in debt.
‘I wanted to learn and earn, and in the end I get a free degree.
‘Also, having support throughout the course is really important to me. My mentor works in partnership with the course co-ordinators at Queen Mary University to make sure that everything I do at work is relevant to my degree.’