Catrin’s following in her family’s footsteps to pursue a career in agriculture.
At just 16, Catrin from Bala in North Wales already has a clear vision for her future. With a strong agricultural background, she’s combining her love of farming and mechanics into a career path that excites her.
Discovering her direction
Catrin has always helped out on her family farm, but it was a week of work experience at a local tractor dealership that sparked an interest in pursuing this avenue as a career.
She said: “That’s when I really got into agricultural engineering and thought about it as a career, I loved working with the mechanics and seeing how everything came together.”
Originally, Catrin had plans to travel after school, working on farms in New Zealand and Australia but after attending an open day at Glynllifon College, she changed course. She continued: “I realised I wanted to stay closer to home and study something hands-on so the Agri Mechanics and Livestock Husbandry course just felt right.”
Although she had a rough idea of what she wanted to do, Catrin credits her school’s careers adviser, Guto, with helping her take the next step.
She said: “Guto helped me find a college that was the right distance from home and gave me the confidence to apply. He supported me through the whole application process and helped me secure my place.
Having someone to talk to about the different options available to me was really reassuring and made me feel like I wasn’t going through the process alone.”
That support helped turn her interest into a plan and now she’s preparing to start a full-time Level 3 Agricultural Engineering course at Coleg Glynllifon.
Ready for what’s next
Catrin has just finished her GCSEs and is predicted to achieve a strong set of results, including Bs in Welsh, Maths, Design & Technology, and English, along with a Merit in Engineering. She added: “Once I got into the rhythm of the exams, I felt comfortable and coped a lot better than I thought I would.
“I’m looking forward to starting a practical course that’s going to take me onto a career that I’m passionate about, and it’ll be exciting to follow in the footsteps of my family too.”
With results day approaching, Catrin is feeling confident and excited about what’s ahead. She concluded: “I’m really looking forward to starting college. I’ve found something I enjoy, and I’m ready to get stuck in.”
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