LUCY Hutchinson is heading for a bright future through vocational training at Weymouth College.

She is nearing completion of a two-year City & Guilds Plumbing course and has already been offered a job with British Gas starting this summer.

A former administrative assistant, Lucy, 21, knew she wanted a career in the vocational field and said that she always enjoyed general household maintenance projects with her father.

She decided to try a basic plumbing course in the evenings at the college and enjoyed the experience so much she enrolled on a full-time two-year course after completion.

She said: "The course is really great and I particularly enjoy the practical aspects of the course. The teachers are brilliant and very supportive.

"Everyone's accepted as an equal, and it's not something only men can do.

"Although I was a bit daunted at first to be in such a male-dominated environment, it has been really great fun and I would definitely recommend more women to enter vocational training in construction-related areas.

"I am really pleased to have secured the job with British Gas and look forward to starting working with them.

"I have to go on a training course in Newcastle for a few months before I will be qualified to make house calls and repair washing machines, dishwashers and other white goods.

"I think there is a demand for more women in all areas of construction and allied trades so I look forward to working in Weymouth and Dorset once I complete my initial training with British Gas."

Alan Croker, a plumbing lecturer at the college, said: "We are delighted at how well Lucy has progressed here at the college. She has been a real joy to teach and is a very capable student."

He added: "It's good for the industry to get more females onboard. They tend to take pride in their work because they're in a male-dominated industry."

Anyone who wants to enrol on a course in September should call 01305 761100.