Lauren Johnston takes the chance to reimagine her career

Despite having qualifications in childcare, learning and development and a job within special education, Lauren Johnston (22) decided to reskill, retrain and reimagine her career prospects with an Apprenticeship in Engineering.

Lauren said: “I had a full-time job in special educational needs but wasn’t sure it was the right pathway for me, so I took a career break for a year and went travelling.

“On my return I decided that I needed to change now to have the career I truly wanted.

“I had always had an interest in engineering and when I heard Diageo were recruiting for apprentices, I jumped to the opportunity – it’s such a world class company I knew this could be my chance.’’

Lauren successfully secured an apprenticeship with Diageo and was linked with SERC to complete her apprenticeship studies at the College’s Lisburn Campus.

She said: “The programme of study at SERC has a great connection with my every day work and gives me an insight into both practical experiences and theoretical learning.

“The blended learning approach is a great way to gain knowledge and develop skills that you are using on the job.