Nkemdilim Josephine John
2018 National Winner
On a mission to help change the lives of vulnerable women and girls in Nigeria, Nkemdilim has returned to learning to develop her construction skills.
Growing up in Nigeria, Nkemdilim wanted to train as a mechanic, but was denied this opportunity because of her gender. After fleeing her own country in search of safety, she settled in the UK and raised her family. Nkemdilim remained keen to get the education she always dreamed of and in 2016 signed up for construction courses at Chesterfield College.
Nkemdilim is now working towards her goal of setting up and running an organisation that teaches construction skills to women and girls in Nigeria, enabling them to build a career and a brighter future. Having completed Level 1 Plumbing and Level 2 Bricklaying, Joyce is now studying for Level 2 Plumbing. She has also started a Law degree at the University of Derby and plans to access other courses to gain the skills she needs.