Emma engineers a great future with her apprenticeship

Emma Foran, 24, from Laindon, went to James Hornsby High School and excelled in Art, Science and History. She really enjoyed school and came out with 5 GCSE's C and above. Once she left school she was unsure about want she wanted to do. She decided to study A Levels in Business and Law, but after six months left the course as she found it boring and had no interest in the subjects.

She decided to go straight into work at 16 and went from job to job for a period, until at 22 Emma realised she was not happy with her life and really wanted to find something that she was good at and could make her career. She knew she enjoyed Science at school so she enrolled on an access to Higher Education Course in Science. Within a year she passed the course and gained grades equivalent to A Levels.

Emma search on the internet for local jobs in the area and came across an advert for the apprenticeship programme at Keymed. She applied, went to the interviews and was successful. Once she started with Keymed she was advised that she would have to attend Prospects College to learn the practical application of Engineering which would gain her a NVQ Level 2 in Engineering. Now aged, 24 she has only six months left of the course and is also studying an Open University Course in Maths.

Once Emma has completed the two courses she is hoping to gain a place at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge to study a degree in Electronics on a day release basis. Of her training, Emma said: "After learning all the theory side of engineering it's nice to start with the practical and have learnt many new skills that will help me in my role at Keymed. I am really enjoying the training and the tutors are very helpful, positive and supportive".

She added: "I love engineering due to the science elements being innovative and looking at aspects of instruments that others may overlook and improving techniques".

Ultimately Emma hopes to become a researcher and developer of medical devices and nondestructible testing.