A trainee plumber has used her own initiative to secure herself an apprenticeship, after working to gain her basic training at college.
Kimberly Scott, from Barrow, wrote to local plumbing and heating engineering company, Wardgroup, before she completed her NVQ Level One in plumbing, in a concerted effort to get ahead of the crowd when it came to seeking training opportunities.
The 21-year-old impressed the staff at the company by first contacting them over the phone, and then hand- delivering her impeccable CV to them the next day. Her persistence soon paid off, in the form of a full training apprenticeship with the company – and the achievement of being the first female apprentice that Wardgroup has taken on.
Wardgroup contracts manager, Graham Newby, said that Kimberly’s initiative and determination were very impressive and he did not think twice about approaching the group’s managing director, Ian Noble, to see about putting her forward for the apprenticeship.
Mr Noble told the North-West Evening Mail: “Kim is doing extremely well. She has got a good head on her shoulders.”
Kimberly told the newspaper that she had not been daunted by the fact that the plumbing industry is so male-dominated and said it only spurred her on to be more determined.
“I didn’t fancy working in an office, I wanted to be doing something different every day,” she explained. “It is challenging work. I really enjoy it.”