BEING in charge of an organisation with a £15m turnover, 500 staff and 20,000 clients could be a daunting task.

But for a woman who has back-packed in the most remote parts of the world, taking on Darlington College of Technology was just another challenge.

At 38, Sarah Farley is one of the youngest people in the country to be appointed as the principal of a major further education college. She started her career at the college five years ago as Executive Director (Curriculum), after moving from West Cheshire.

And after surviving a gruelling three-day interview process, in which she faced students, staff and college executives, Sarah was chosen to take over the post. She admits she did have an advantage though. "Over the last few years I have learnt a lot about the college and the area and I believe I can do a good job," she says. "And I already had an inside knowledge of the area and the way the college works."

Born and brought up in Manchester, Sarah left school at 18 and spent five years in employment before returning to the Bolton Institute of Higher Education and the University of Keele.

She is married to Mick, the chief executive of Cumbria Learning and Skills Council, and, outside work, the couple live anything but a quiet life. Trekking in the wilds of Bolivia or Pakistan is a normal holiday - the scarier their experiences, the better.

"Exploring remote regions of the world with just a back-pack and a local guide to assist you demands complete concentration and all your energy," she says. "It allows me to switch off completely from work. I've been to Nepal a number of times and will go back again. The landscape is stunning and the people are wonderful."

In Pakistan recently the couple were up a high mountain range when it started to snow and they had to abandon their camp to walk to lower ground. The trek took six days, much of it in waist-deep snow and with little food, but sheer determination kept them alive.

It is this determination that has helped Sarah make her way in a mostly male environment where merely being young could be seen as a disadvantage.

But being surrounded by older colleagues is not unusual for Sarah. She was just 18 when she left school to become the personal assistant to the Deputy General Secretary of USDAW, and was in regular contact with MPs, Secretaries of State and business executives.

"All that gave me a level of confidence from a young age," she says. "I do not consider myself to be too young. I will be judged on how good a job I do, not on anything else.

"There are more male than female principals but again that will not affect my job. I enjoy it and am determined to make it a success."

Sarah's love of the great outdoors and active pursuits means she won't be found sitting behind her desk for long periods of time. "I am a very active person and I am always on the go," she says. "I like to know what's going on and I think I have to be close to people to find out what they want and then I can tailor what we offer. This is a people business and that is sometimes forgotten. I cannot do my job from an office."

As if to emphasise this point, Sarah has not taken over the traditional principal's office; instead she has remained in her old room, where she feels comfortable and able to get out and about.

She has already met most of the staff to discuss their hopes for the future and is now making her way through the students. "We have people from 16 to 80-odd here and they all have different needs and requirements," says Sarah.

"Without talking to them, we will never know what they want. I thought that if I had come from outside and got this job then I would have had to meet the staff, so why not meet them now and listen to them?"