Ryan Weston, 20, spent his first year as a mechanical engineering apprentice at Barnfield College while working for Elster Metering of Luton.
"Mechanical engineering is in my family - I always knew this was what I wanted to do, my dad always had various projects on the go! I really picked up the bug from him.
"The training was very good, they don't hold you back. If you have the ability, the tutors at Barnfield will push you to achieve your best.
"I was also being urged on by my employers to fulfil my potential - they really wanted to see me succeed. It was a lot of work to take on but the advantage of doing an apprenticeship was that I could see how the work I was doing at Barnfield would be relevant in the real world.
"I designed and built a prototype testing bench that can be used to put Elster's range of products through their paces under a variety of conditions. It was really satisfying to see my project taking shape and my bosses seemed pleased, too!
"I'm starting a degree course in engineering this summer and really can't wait to develop my skills even further."
