When Alice started studying Mechanical Engineering at NETA in September she had her sights set on an apprenticeship.

But the 17-year-old from Billingham never expected an apprentice position to fall at her feet so quickly.

Just four months into the course, she has secured an operations apprenticeship with Sembcorp Energy UK, a position that comes with the potential for lots of future progression.

Alice said: “Engineering has always been something I’ve been interested in. It is something I have always been around as my dad is an engineer and my granddad also comes from the industry.”

Signing up at NETA to develop her skills and help her stand out from the crowd, she couldn’t believe her luck when the opportunity came up.

Invited to an interview and then offered a place, she said: “It was brilliant, I had achieved what I set out to do.”

What’s more she gets to stay close to home.

Now looking forward to getting started, she added: “I just want to see where this takes me. It will put me on a good career path to progress.”