A north-east oil company is offering school leavers the opportunity to gain a qualification in administration for the first time.
Aker Solutions had previously taken on technical apprentices but decided to branch out further last year.
And north-east trio Iona Dickie-Moir, Lauren Greig and Abi Mckenzie were among the first to jump at the opportunity.
The trio left school at the end of fifth year and are relishing the opportunity to gain qualifications in the workplace.
Miss Mckenzie revealed she had no idea such an option was available until she attended a careers fair.
The 18-year-old from Turriff said: “When I was at school, it seemed like all the apprentice courses were aimed for boys.
“I had no idea you could do an office-based apprenticeship, I thought it was all technical stuff.
“All the apprentices have been sent to a different department, I work in finance solution for the company and it’s great to work beside people with experience.”
Miss Dickie-Moir, an 18-year-old from Ellon, added she was glad to be gaining experience.
She explained: “School was never my thing and, at the end of fifth year, I decided it was time to get a job and start earning my own money.
“I did a girls in energy course before and thought I’d like to do this sort of thing.”
Miss Greig, an 18-year-old from Inverurie, said: “I felt, at the end of fifth year at school, that I had done all the subjects that I enjoyed and got the exams I needed.
“I work with the Subsea Module Controls, where we handle quality supply.
“I have to make sure all the things we bring in are fully compliant with regulations.
“It has been really good to be able to learn on the job and see things in action.”
The modern apprentice course will last for two years and the assessment structure will be provided by ITCA training.
Susan Caldwell, who acts as a mentor to the new intake, said: “We had taken on technical apprentices before, but we decided to take on some administration apprentices this year.
“We have nine in total, eight joined a year ago and one has just started.
“We had done really well out of technical apprentices, so we decided to take on more.”
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