Faisal recently completed his Level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship at Kingston College with a Distinction, all while working within the world-class research environment at Imperial College London. His journey shows how apprenticeships can open doors to competitive STEM careers by combining hands-on experience with structured learning. Reflecting on his apprenticeship, Faisal shared:
“I had held an interest in pursuing a STEM related career, particularly Pharmaceuticals and research around drug discovery. For a large portion of my early education however when it had come around to the time for me to begin studying at university, personal financial circumstances and working throughout the period of my studies had made it difficult to properly commit to the course structure in the way that I would have liked to. And so, coming across an opportunity to be educated and develop in my field of interest while also earning and supporting myself financially was a prime opportunity for me.
“As I had struggled to balance work and coursework previously, it was important for me to find a balance between the two to make the most of the opportunity. As to be expected, very intentional time management and the constant revision of my personal day to day routine was key to being able to stay on top of both. Treating work activity as an opportunity to exercise the learning from my coursework and find links between my learning and my work was also helpful in making sure it never felt as though one clashed with the other.
“Achieving a Distinction was affirming as it reflected to me the effort I had put into both work and study and showed me that there was worth to committing to my learning and work activity as best I could. With that, I think the biggest benefit is the confidence in knowing that a structured approach to careers and learning is significant and can pay off when followed through.
“The plan for me now is to try to establish myself in the next few early roles as a technician as best as I can and pursue opportunities for further qualification through small technical certifications and potentially a further apprenticeship or return to university at some point in the future. Long-term, the goal for me is to work in Lab management roles.
“My advice to anyone considering the program or a similar course would be to be as intentional as you can be in planning your steps and work toward figuring out not just what works along a traditional path toward your goal, but more so what would work best for your specific personal circumstance.”
