"I've been able to dream so much bigger than I ever allowed myself to... I just want to keep challenging myself."

Stefan Knight may have left school with no GCSEs, but he certainly made sure his dreams were not left behind. In the six years since leaving school he has qualified as an electrician, managed multi-million pound projects and set up his own electrical contracting company.

Today Stefan is working towards an Electrical Engineering degree at one of the best universities in the world.



Stefan always had a passion for electricals and, after studying Electrical Installation at college, he started work as a junior electrician on a job worth £5 million. Aged 18, he found himself managing a team of 10, and overseeing work on a home that featured in lifestyle magazine Home & Gardens.

Self-funding private tuition one day a week, Stefan eventually passed GCSE English and Maths and scored 100% in the Access Course, which would allow him to study at university level.

In 2009, he set up JSJ Electrical Contractors with two colleagues. The business currently manages several projects in and around London and Stefan is especially proud of recently securing a contract to install all of the electrical facilities for a youth academy in East London.

During his second year at university, Stefan secured two Spring Week placements: one in the Sales and Trading division of UBS, and another in the Technology department at Goldman Sachs. Stefan will return to Goldman Sachs in the summer of 2012 to take up a place in Equities.

"I never thought I would be or could be where I am today."