Leah Howarth
Study Type: School Leaver Vocational
Study Location: Broomfield Hall
Subject Studied: Animal Care
Animal care apprentice Leah wants to be an RSPCA inspector
Seeing an RSPCA advert on television when she was just nine convinced Derby College Group apprentice Leah Howarth that she wanted to work with animals.
Nine years on, she’s on a Level 2 Animal Care and Welfare Assistant apprenticeship at Broomfield Hall, after which she plans to do the training needed to apply to be an RSPCA inspector.
Leah, 18, who went to Broomfield straight from school, took Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications in animal care before successfully securing her apprenticeship based at the college’s animal unit earlier this year.
She said: “Basically, wanting to help animals has been my aim ever since seeing that TV advert.
“We had pets when I was growing up – everything from a giant snail to chameleons and dogs, including a puppy we fostered.
“At college I look after all kinds of animals, but I like the donkeys best. They have so much attitude! The bigger animals have more personality.”
Leah is currently studying the feeding and nutrition module of her apprenticeship and is enjoying putting what she’s learned on this course, and her previous ones, into practice.
She added: “It’s cool doing it as part of our practical learning. Feeding time is entertaining, as the animals all have their own ways of eating.
“The staff at Broomfield have really boosted my confidence too. I struggled with holding snakes on the first day of my practical with them, but the teachers were so supportive and I’m quite good at it now.
“I’m not so keen on holding crickets or other ‘hoppers,’ but I’m more than willing to have a go at handling most of the animals.”
By doing her apprenticeship, followed by the six months’ training she’ll need to apply to the RSPCA, Leah feels she’s taking the first steps toward achieving her goal.
She added: “Animals can’t help themselves. They need us to help them, and I’m on my way to being able to do that.
“I did my own research before I came to Broomfield, and I’d definitely recommend it as the right choice for anyone who, like me, has an ambition to work with animals.”
The staff at Broomfield have really boosted my confidence too.