BUDE girl Sharon McArdle is not like most 24-year-old girls in the sense that she is thought to be the only girl who has completed a NVQ2 in Land-based Engineering in the South West.

Along with this, she has recently received an award for top academic achiever at Duchy College, Rosewarne, Camborne.

Sharon won the top award after being chosen out of 90 other students, studying forestry engineering, agricultural engineering and horticultural engineering.

She has also been entered into the national Apprentice of the Year competition, with hopefuls from across the UK attending the finals in London.

Sharons liaison officer explained to her when she had finished her NVQ2 in June, that she is the only girl he knows of that has completed an NVQ2 in the area, possibly in the South West.

Sharon said she had always wanted to do mechanics, but never really considered being an agricultural engineer. As well as studying at Camborne, Sharon is an apprentice at Ray Hambly Agricultural Engineers, based in Whitstone.

She started helping out and training to be an apprentice around three years ago and Sharon is now aiming to go on and complete her NVQ3 starting in September.

Even though Sharon is the only girl on her course, she enjoys college and commented:They are a good bunch of lads to work with.