v THE HERALD - INDEPENDENT AND PROUD OF IT v 12th March 2026 • The HERALD • Page 61 ASK A PROFESSIONAL LJM Bookkeeping Services I provide a range of accounting and business services to individuals, partnerships, charities and small businesses. I am licenced through the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers for the following services. Bookkeeping, Computerised Accounting Software, Final Year End Accounts, Payroll Management, CIS, VAT, Self Assessment Tax for Individuals and Construction Industry Scheme, Statutory Accounts for Small Businesses including Corporation Tax and related submissions, Holiday cover can also be provided for, hourly rates charged. Please contact Lynda McIntyre Email: ljmbookkeepingservices@gmail.com Telephone: 07774 790543 Local Apprentice Challenges Misconceptions After Winning National Prize Southampton engineer Rachel Donaghey who won the Mary George Memorial Prize for Apprentices at the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards, is looking to change the longstanding misconceptions about apprenticeships and highlight the value of skills-based engineering pathways. Rachel, now a Service Introduction Manager at National Air Tra c Services, plays a critical role in UK aviation by managing the safe introduction of new systems and equipment in a 24/7 operational environment. Her rapid career progression, including a promotion just four months a er completing the NATS Graduate Scheme, starts from a foundation she built during her Professional Safety Management apprenticeship, which she says gave her the con dence, so skills and industry experience that set her apart. Growing up, Rachel heard the same stereotypes that many young people still face: “People assume apprenticeships are for electricians or bricklayers or are not a real qualification,” she says. “No one tells you that you can do a master’s-level apprenticeship in engineering. When I finished university, I had no work experience beyond retail. My apprenticeship changed that.” Rachel believes apprenticeships should be seen as equal to university pathways, not a second choice. “Young people aren’t always told the full picture,” She explains. “Apprenticeships give you experience, industry networks, qualifications, and financial stability. You’re earning and learning. If I had to choose again, I would pick my apprenticeship every time.” Alongside her work, Rachel is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity in engineering. She openly speaks about her dyslexia and actively works to challenge perceptions in aviation. As a volunteer with the Equal Skies Charter, she helps drive sector-wide improvements in accessibility and inclusion. She also contributed to the planning of Destination Equal Skies, an annual industry conference focused on sharing best practice in equity, diversity and inclusion. Rachel hopes her story will encourage more young people to consider apprenticeships as a rstchoice pathway into engineering, particularly as misconceptions remaind widespread. Many students are still told that apprenticeships are “less academic” or only lead to trade roles, even though modern engineering apprenticeships can run to master’s level and o er direct access to complex, highresponsibility work. New research highlights the strength of these alternative routes. Analysis from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) shows that young degree apprentices earn an average salary of £36,785 just one year a er completion, higher than even degreeholders who graduated ten years earlier, demonstrating the strong earlycareer earning potential apprenticeships provide. For Rachel, this evidence reinforces what her own career has shown: apprenticeships deliver realworld experience, industryready skills and nancial stability at a time when young people are increasingly concerned about rising living costs. She believes more students would choose apprenticeships if they were given the full picture, and she hopes her visibility as an IET award winner will help shi perceptions. The IET has current Apprenticeship opportunities and how to apply here: www.theiet.org/career/routes-toengineering/apprenticeships/introducingapprenticeships/ nd-an-apprenticeship Rachel Donaghey at Heathrow Tower
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=