I never liked school! I didn’t do too badly but the classroom was the last place I wanted to be.

So when I got to 16 I didn’t like the idea of college. I knew with training it would be a lot easier to get a decent job. I just didn’t want to get trained at college.

My Connexions advisor suggested I look for an apprenticeship, so I could do most of the learning at work. I liked the idea!

I knew I wanted to do something that paid well. Something I could do well at. And something interesting enough to stop me getting bored.

We looked at all the options. You can become an apprentice in almost anything: childcare, engineering, beauty therapy, driving delivery vans, customer service, and lots more.

I decided I wanted to be a bricklayer. I took a test to show I was bright enough. Then I had to find a firm to take me on. This was the hard bit!

Apprenticeships are very popular. But with a lot of help from my advisor I eventually found a place.

I’m now 18 and in the second year of my apprenticeship. My boss expects me to work hard and show a lot of commitment. But I don’t mind that – I’m getting the training I want and need. I’ll get a good qualification at the end of it. And I’m getting paid while I learn.

I spend one day a week in the classroom, learning the technical stuff. But I still prefer it on the building site!