Cumbernauld apprentice encouraging others to consider following in her career path ahead of International Women’s Day

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A trailblazing apprentice from Cumbernauld is encouraging others to consider following in her career path.Iona Aitken, 20, was among the first cohorts to join the North Lanarkshire Council and Commsworld - one of the UK’s leading telecoms network providers - apprenticeship programme, which provides youngsters with opportunities to pursue skilled jobs within the tech sector.Ahead of this Friday's International Women’s Day, she tells her story of how she became an apprentice and how she hopes to encourage other girls to follow in her footsteps and consider STEM careers, and jobs in tech.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Iona told Lanarkshire Live: "I grew up in Cumbernauld, where I went to Greenfaulds High School."At the time I really was the least technically-minded pupil in my year.

I wasn’t really interested in computers, I was much more into social sciences, psychology and English."I was looking at perhaps a career as a therapist when I left school.“But that all changed when Covid happened and we went into lockdown.

I stayed with a friend during that time, and she was studying software development as an apprentice."I got to see what was involved, how she was part of meetings, and it looked like she was really making a difference in her workplace.