Anyone walking into the principal’s office at Middlesbrough College this week could be forgiven for doing a double take.
For sitting behind the desk is student Laura Nolan.
Laura, 18, was selected from the student body to take on the top job at Teesside’s largest college to help mark National Apprenticeship Week, which runs until Friday.
The event is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
Middlesbrough College trains more apprentices than any other training provider in the Tees Valley, working in partnership with hundreds of employers.
Laura, a former Egglescliffe School pupil, is completing an apprenticeship with a local accountancy company while studying Level 2 Accountancy at Middlesbrough College.
It’s something she and the real principal and chief executive Zoe Lewis have in common.
After leaving school Zoe decided against studying A Levels and going to university.
Instead she secured herself a job working for a high street bank and studied AAT Accountancy qualifications with the North East Chamber of Commerce.
She then went on to study CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountant) qualifications at a Further Education college.
Zoe said: “The result was I became a qualified accountant at the age that all of my friends were graduating from university.
“I also had the benefit of understanding the world of work and of having six years’ experience to draw upon.
“For many students university is exactly the right choice for them, but for many others apprenticeships and vocational training offer an alternative route into work.”
Laura said: “It’s an amazing opportunity to shadow Zoe and see what the role of principal really involves, I’m thrilled I’ve been asked to do it.
“I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship, I knew I didn’t want to go to university, I didn’t want the debt and I really didn’t want to spend three or four years studying without any guarantee of a job at the end of it.
“This way I get to study for my AAT qualifications, get two years’ practical work experience and provided I reach the standard expected of me it’s highly likely I’ll have a job when I qualify.”
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