A mature veterinary nursing apprentice from Solihull College & University Centre has been nominated for ‘Apprentice of the Year’ in the WorldSkills EDI Heroes awards.
Sarah Green, 49, attended the ceremony in London which aims to highlight the individuals and organisations which champion inclusion and diversity.
Despite being pipped at the post for the win, Sarah was proud to have been nominated. Until recently Sarah was a carer for her son Bradley who very sadly passed away. Before he died, she made a promise to Bradley that she would follow her dream to work with animals. Sarah was nominated due to her hard work and determination to succeed.
Sarah comments: “When Bradley died, I had to re-evaluate my whole life. I felt really lost but remembered my promise to him. So, I secured my apprenticeship with Horner Vets and Solihull College & University Centre and threw myself into the job.”
Sarah says although she is the oldest student in the group, it’s never been a negative: “I’m old enough to be most of the other students’ mum! But it’s not a barrier, I want to prove that it doesn’t matter how old you are, you are never too old to go back to study to change your life.”
Owner at Horner vets, James Horner, commented: “Sarah, and all our apprentices, are great assets to our team. Sarah in particular is a wonderful advocate for retraining later in life and how it is never too late to begin following a dream of becoming a veterinary nurse.”
James continues: “Apprenticeships work well as on-the-job training and it really suits those who are more practical learners than lecture based students. Watching Sarah develop skills and confidence through the course is a delight. Training people on site isn’t easy and is helped by our good relationship with Solihull College & University Centre who regularly check-in on Sarah’s progress with us.”
Sarah says she would recommend anyone to go back into studying or retraining whatever their age: “I will be qualified when I am 50. I would advise anyone who isn’t happy in their job and has always wanted to do something just to go ahead and do it. Age shouldn’t be a barrier – it can be a positive. Apprenticeships are for people of all ages. I now spend my day looking after animals with a supportive team around me from my lecturers to the nursing staff. It’s amazing to really make a difference.”
Sarah has taken her final exams and will soon be qualified. The College wishes her all the very best for her future career.
