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FROM an early age Rachel Chell was always a `hands-on` type of girl who preferred getting her hands dirty to working at an office computer.
So it was no surprise when she left Cheadle High School to start an apprenticeship in engineering at digger giant JCB. And, although she was the only girl in the workshop at Leek College where she started her training, she never let that worry her and passed both her NVQ Level 2 and Level 3 courses in engineering with flying colours.
Nineteen-year-old Rachel, a mum of one, said: “I’ve never been one for fake nails and that sort of thing. I’m happier putting on my overalls and working on a lathe. So I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship and the tutors at Leek College have been brilliant.
“I’ve been attending college one day a week and I am treated no differently to the lads. I’ve learned how to turn metal on a lathe and use the milling machines and I’ve so enjoyed the practical nature of the course that I want to take it further and aim to complete my Foundation degree.
“JCB is a good company to work for and, with their support, I hope to qualify as a design engineer eventually.”
Rachel is currently working at JCB’s XP division in Cecily Mills, Oakamoor Road, Cheadle and there she’s involved in lots of research and development work, testing out new products and developing them further.
Team leader Dave Alkins said: “Rachel is a brilliant apprentice. She’s really good at her job and nothing ever fazes her.
“She’s always up for a new challenge and, thanks to her college training, she could start work straight away on lathe work. She’s very safe and capable of marking out and measuring accurately. She’s fitted in really well here as part of the team.”