Vicky left school with no GCSE qualifications and started working straight away in various retail positions. She became a mum at the age of 19. Ever since then, Vicky has always wanted the best for her daughter and wanted to make her daughter proud.

Several years ago Vicky went into partnership with a friend and together they opened up a nursery and out of school club to help other families who needed to find childcare for their children. She completed the qualifications needed to run her business successfully and continued to do this for a number of years.

Vicky has always been very family orientated. In 2017 when her Nan had a fall, Vicky was the first person to arrive along with the paramedics. Seeing the paramedics care for her Nan so quickly and attentively made Vicky seriously consider a career change. She gained a new found respect for the work of the emergency services team that had helped her own family in their time of need.

From then on, Vicky began to look at the various routes into becoming a paramedic. As she had previously secured no GCSE qualifications she soon understood that she had to start from the bottom. This realisation did not stop her from aiming high and if anything, it made her more determined.

Vicky enrolled onto a Foundation Year course in Health and Social Care at Ashton Higher and Adult Education. She also enrolled to study her GCSE’s alongside her course, all whilst still running her own business!

Vicky’s hard work and determination has certainly paid off as she has been offered a place to study a BSc in Paramedic Science at Sheffield Hallam University. She is now one step closer to her dream career.

Find out more about the Foundation Year course here.