Like most young people at school, I started off my journey as someone who had little interest in my education. Later on throughout that journey I realised who I wanted to be and the steps I need to take to get there.

Hey everyone, I’m Faris Kadeb. I’m a Project Engineer Apprentice at Thames Water. I finished my A-Levels in June of 2025 and joined my apprenticeship straight after in September 2025.

How my story began.

Through the earlier stages of my education, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I was troublesome at school and didn’t really have a true passion to focus on like most of my peers. I had myself, my PlayStation, and I was also a member of the cadet forces which took up most of my time. Looking back, not knowing what I wanted to do was the reason that I started to fall behind – however that changed when I moved schools and started my engineering course.

Moving schools allowed me to study something more hands on, focussing on STEM based subjects like computer science and engineering, rather than the average classroom-based lessons. Starting my Level 2 course in Engineering made me realise that I wanted to get into Engineering and progress further into that subject, which is exactly what I did.

Changing schools also allowed me to get closer interactions with employers and companies within the industry. Being able to have that gave me a clearer path into what I wanted to do, although that massively changed. During this period, I wanted to study civil engineering at university.

After completing my GSCEs, and receiving a distinction on my engineering course, I decided to continue at that school for sixth form by taking A-Level Maths, Physics, Engineering, and an EPQ on Ancient Egyptian History.

A-Levels

This is where I found out who I wanted to be on a deeper level. My personal life and my school life took a turn for the worst; however this pushed me to know myself better – how I manage stress, home life, A-levels, and everything in between.

Ironically, the thing that kept me going was school. Not studying, but the support I had around me was the reason I went in everyday and eventually pushed me to be better.

A new position as the Student Director of Extra-Curricular opened up on the student board, I felt like this was the best opportunity to find something else that I was really interested in. With the school’s career programme already having such a large effect on me, I decided that the best next step would be to go for the position and strengthen both myself, and the school, in this field.

Careers Programme

After running for the position, I won by a landslide over the other students that ran for it - pledging to increase employer interactions, industry insights, site visits, and much more.

My first event I ran was for an initiative I started called ‘Career Insight Talks’. This involved getting employers to come into lessons and teach, rather than a teacher. I started with A-Level Chemistry, then moved into Engineering lessons, eventually having set up one lesson for each A-level STEM subject within 6 months into Year 12.

This new passion of mine really pushed me to do better in school and out. Finding something that you truly enjoy, and still do, has no better feeling.

I continued in this role for two years, eventually having to give it up at the end of Year 13 as I was no longer a student. The range of opportunities I got out of it was what made it all worthwhile – presenting to careers leads across the country at Amazon HQ in London, gaining so many skills in management, and eventually landing a role on the national youth advisory board for careers education.

How did I find out about apprenticeships, and decide to do one?

That experience was amazing, but what made me want an apprenticeship? Bringing in employers within a range of industries opened my eyes to the vast number of pathways available for young people leaving school – university, gap years, higher education, and apprenticeships.

Throughout my A-Levels I realised that I’m not built for a classroom setting, and having the role I had, I knew that I learnt best hands-on and seeing the work I do have a genuine effect on people.

With knowing that I enjoyed managing people through the events I ran, I decided to pursue an apprenticeship within that field of work, but I still really enjoyed engineering (eventually receiving an A* in my Level 3). Project management is a good mix of both, however being a Project Engineer allows me to develop technical knowledge and management skills simultaneously.

I applied for apprenticeships within the project management and engineering sector, eventually receiving 3 offers by May 2025. Thames Water offered me the best support, qualifications, and experience necessary to progress into my career which is why I decided to accept them and join in September.

Lessons Learnt and Top Tips for Aspiring Apprentices

There was a lot to learn throughout my journey, but those are the things that truly develop you into the person you will be – even if you don’t see it coming. Being a young, naïve, student in my early years to a person with confidence and aspiration, was a rough path but I wouldn’t change any of it.

1.     Find opportunities to find your passion

Opportunities come and go, but the ones that truly matter are the ones that develop you. My passion came from applying to the student board in a role that I really enjoyed, but that’s not the same for everyone. Finding opportunities like that is hard, unless you actively put yourself out there to be seen.

2.     Stand out

Do everything you can to put yourself above other candidates. Hundreds of thousands of people apply for apprenticeships each year, some of which may be 10-20 years older than you. You take every chance you get to develop skills that make you stand out on your CV, Cover Letter, Interviews, Assessments.

3.     Make a name for yourself

I received an offer directly from the CEO of a company because I put myself in front of her whenever I could – my school also had very close links with the company. I made sure she knew who I was, even if I felt cringe doing so. The company I work for now came into my school to run a stand for their careers fair and I left making sure that they remember me.

Thank-you for reading my story and finding out about my route into apprenticeships. If you want more information, then feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/fariskadeb/. 

Faris Kadeb

Apprentice Project Engineer @ Thames Water | School Outreach Lead @ OuterCircle | Youth Advisory Group Member @ The Careers & Enterprise Company