Benna left Banff Academy after finishing 5th year in 2018 with the dream of gaining a Cadetship in the Navy. After a few set backs she is now living her dream as a Merchant Navy Deck Cadet working towards her Professional Diploma in Nautical Science, and Office of the Watch License!

What path did you take?

I had studied 5 Highers in 5th year - Maths (A), English (B), Spanish (A), Chemistry (B) and Physics (B).

Before I had left school I began applying to recruitment companies to see if they would sponsor me to start my Cadetship.

Unfortunately, I was faced with a few set backs initially after two companies declined my application and said I was too young and inexperienced at life at the age of 17.

In order to gain more life experience I left school and attended a Mechanical Engineering HND college course at NESCOL so that I could keep my brain working! This was advised to me by my Guidance teacher at school. I also worked a part time job during the week and in a nightclub most weekends.

A few months later I applied to become a Deck Cadet again but this time with a different management company - Chiltern Maritime, and I was successful in gaining a place after being interviewed at their Office in Southampton.

Sponsored by Trinity House, I was sent to the City of Glasgow Riverside Campus in January 2019 to begin my first Phase of college learning as a Deck Cadet. After only 6 months of studying the theoretical side of the job, I was then sent to sea for the first time.

Since then I have put my theoretical knowledge into practise and sailed onboard a Princess Cruise Line Ship (Sea Princess, now sold by the company), Marella Cruise Line Ship (Marella Explorer 2) and a 116m Superyacht crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

What are your day-to-day duties?

A Deck Cadet is a trainee Deck Officer. The main responsibility of a Deck Officer is to keep the ship navigationally safe. As a Cadet, you will learn the job of a Deck Officer along with carrying out different tasks around the ship to gain experience of what life at sea is really like.

Whilst at sea my day to day duties include being on watch with the officer, maintaining a safe lookout for traffic and any navigational hazards in the area. Extra duties include completing safety checks, for example of fire fighting equipment or life saving appliances such as the ships lifeboats and life rafts.

Life as a cadet can vary on a daily basis and also ship to ship, it is important to be adaptable.

What made you decide to apply for this apprenticeship?

Going to University didn’t appeal to me, so I was in search of a more practical, hands on career. My dad is also at sea as a fisherman so I think this also influenced my decision as I had always grown up with a seafarer in the family.

What do you like most about your apprenticeship?

I really enjoy the fact that I can travel the world, work and still get paid for it! Meeting new friends from all over the world and learning about their cultures makes this career always exciting too.

Do you have a proud achievement/memorable moment?

My proudest achievement in this career is yet to come, hopefully next year when I qualify as an Officer of the Watch.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

I would like to see myself still in this career progressing though the ranks and hopefully one day, becoming Captain.

Any advice for students in S4/5/6 who are thinking about their future career paths?

Don't be disheartened if your first attempt to get into a new career is unsuccessful, always consider other options or different routes to take to get into your chosen career and don’t give up on your dreams!

I would recommend anyone who is interested in this career to do some research before applying because life at sea can be challenging sometimes, however the benefits of travelling the world and meeting new people whilst at work are incredible.

Leaving school in 2019, Kirstin knew she wanted to get herself an apprenticeship in a hands-on industry and gained herself a role at Ravenhill as an Apprentice Agricultural Engineer. Kirstin has some brilliant words of advice for those leaving school and believes it's never too late to find your dream job.

What path did you take?

I left Banff academy in 2019.

When I left school I was just finishing 5th year and I had achieved:

• • National 5 English

  • National 5 Geography

  • National 5 Biology

  • National 5 Music

  • National 5 Chemistry

I had applied for my apprenticeship prior to leaving school and had set a date with my employer to start, giving myself time to finish my exams and take a couple weeks off before going into my first full time job.

What are your day-to-day duties?

When I arrive at work, I fill in my time sheets and write out any job cards I have in my pigeonhole. Then check in with my manager and see what tasks he has for me to do.

In between the jobs that I am working on I tidy up the workshop and sweep the floors, I also tidy up the yard and clean the wash bay area.

What made you decide to apply for this apprenticeship?

I decided that I was ready to leave school and enter into the world of work.

Having grown up on a farm and living in an agricultural setting it was always an Agri Based Career I wanted to pursue. I have always preferred hands-on work, so I decided that I wanted a trade in this sector and that an apprenticeship was the best route for me.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do so I applied for a few different jobs including Plumbing, Offshore engineering, Car mechanics and a few more along those lines. I heard about an apprenticeship opportunity at Ravenhill Agricultural Engineering in Maud and of course with it being in the agricultural sector this seemed like the perfect job for me. So I went ahead and sent in my application and CV.

I went through a thorough application process and was the only girl to have applied for this job, so when I was offered the position, I was absolutely delighted.

What do you like most about your apprenticeship?

There are lots of things I like about my job, however I do particularly enjoy getting to work with and learn about all different types of agricultural machinery, I get to work with tractors, loaders, diggers, trailers, combines and many more. It is great to be able to learn about different machines and gain a wide variety of knowledge and understanding through working and at college.

I have been enrolled at SRUC Oatridge and am now in my 3rd year.

Once I have completed my 4th year I will be a Fully Qualified Agricultural Engineer.

There is also the prospects to further my Education and Training once I am qualified and expand into different sectors of the Engineering World.

Do you have a proud achievement/memorable moment?

A proud achievement I have since starting here would be learning to drive all types of tractors, diggers etc and learning to drive a combine. This is a skill that I will be able to use throughout life and add to my CV.

A memorable moment I have here would be getting to unload the new T8 Genesis Tractor from the lorry, it was the biggest tractor I’ve been in, it was great being trusted to carry out that task.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Now that is a good question!

If I was asked that 10 years ago, I would definitely not have expected to be where I am now, however, I’m glad that I am because now I would say that in 10 years time I hope to be fully qualified as an agricultural engineer and have been able to progress within my industry and company.

I look up to all the people who work alongside Ravenhill on behalf of New Holland itself, there are many roles within the company which I would be keen to progress towards, although there are also other things I’ve thought about doing in the future such as contracting and farm management, this would be taking a step away from mechanics and trying something new!

Any advice for students in S4/5/6 who are thinking about their future career paths?

My advice to anyone thinking about leaving school or planning for the future would be:

Don’t be afraid to go for the job you want!

If you know what you want to do then go for it. I was always told “if you don’t ask you don’t get” and this has followed me through life especially when applying for jobs. Also “the worst that can happen is they say no”. And if this is the case then you pick yourself back up and try again somewhere new.

The same goes for anyone who doesn’t know what they want to do. Shop about, do some research, try work experience with different people etc,

There is plenty of time to figure it out, leaving school doesn’t mean you have to go straight into work, you could go to college or university, stay at home, travel the world, its never too late to start so don’t stress about not knowing just now.

I found my path and you will find yours too.