After first studying at MidKent College in 2005, he spent years working across retail and engineering roles before deciding, at 35, to return to college for a Level 3 qualification
Course: Level 3 Welding & Fabrication (2022–2023)
Campus: Medway
Current role: Engineering Trainer, Liquid Line
Aaron Merritt proves it’s never too late to retrain. After first studying at MidKent College in 2005, he spent years working across retail and engineering roles before deciding, at 35, to return to college for a Level 3 qualification, balancing long shifts with intense study.
With support from his lecturer, Aaron rebuilt his confidence and graduated in 2023. By March 2024, he’d stepped into a new career as an Engineering Trainer, teaching adults how to repair commercial coffee machines while continuing his own Level 5 studies.
“It’s come full circle - I went back as an adult to get the qualifications I didn’t make the most of when I was younger. MidKent gave me the platform to build something bigger.”
Aaron now hopes to develop his own engineering training programmes and inspire others to retrain later in life.
