A bright spark from Dagenham wants to shine through the glass ceiling.

Fewer than one in every thousand electrical contractors in the UK are female, according to industry regulator NICEIC.

But that hasn’t stopped Gemma Scarlett from chasing a career in a job she loves.

“Being an electrician for me was an excellent career choice; I am naturally very practical and no two days are the same,” said the 22-year-old apprentice.

“My mum was always encouraging me to get into construction from an early age, as I was always building and fixing things around the house.”

The Barking and Dagenham College student, who hopes to run her own business, spends one day a week studying and four with the council’s mechanical and electrical team.

“I am very optimistic about the future,” she said, “as long as I keep putting in the hard work.”