ONE student is setting her sights high as she is one of just a handful of people to study for an apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce.

Zoe Burton, 19, won a coveted placement with the leading engine company to study specialist science after collecting her A-levels yesterday.

The Seevic College student will be trained by world-class experts in fields such as aerospace, defence aerospace and nuclear energy.

After collecting her results, she said: “There are only three other people who will be doing the same as me, so I’m more relieved than anything.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do. I know I really like maths and I really wanted something to apply it to.

“I used to hate it and thought I didn’t understand it, but I ended up getting an A at GCSE, and I made a mad last-minute decision to study it at A-level and really enjoyed it.

“I decided to look into apprenticeships and heard Rolls-Royce was doing degrees.

“Rolls-Royce isn’t about cars – it’s more defence and nuclear engineering work and investigating collisions.

“It’s going to be really exciting, the whole thing – moving out, getting a degree, getting all the experience and learning lots of things I don’t think anybody else will get to experience.”

The former Grays Convent High School pupil, of Gildborne Close, Stanford-le- Hope, will begin her studies early in September after getting a B in maths and a C in chemistry.

She hopes to eventually specialise in failure investigation, such as plane crashes, and will learn to use X-ray, ultrasound and forensics analysis in her work.