Laboratory Scientist Degree Apprentice Review

I work in the Biologics Engineering department, which sits early in the drug development pipeline and supports all the antibody-based therapeutics produced by AstraZeneca. In particular, I work in a quality control team that performs various experiments based around characterising the different antibody and antigen proteins my department produces. I really enjoy my role as I get exposure to a lot of different types of molecules and projects. Often, this work is the first of its kind and in my team, you really feel like you are contributing towards novel science. It is so interesting learning the theory behind different experiments and to know that some of the antibodies I work with may one day become actual medicines. The types of activities I do on a week-to-week basic include: • Performing experiments in the lab. These can include routine assays (e.g. BVP-ELISA), performing different enzymatic digestions, and analysing proteins using various pieces of equipment. • I perform a lot of data analysis on the proteins I run, which includes making summaries and presentations for scientists in the department. • Now that I am further into my apprenticeship, I am becoming involved in a lot of tech development work, such as developing higher-throughput methods. • I attend a variety of team and project related meetings. There are many opportunities to present both in these meetings, and to the wider company. • I am increasingly becoming involved in employee resource groups (ERGs). For example, I have been involved in some of the early talent / apprentice led journal clubs. • I have also had opportunities to shadow different teams in Biologics Engineering to gain a greater understanding of the protein production and testing.

During my time at AstraZeneca, I have strengthened existing skills and developed many new skills. Some of skills are more general, such as improving my presentation abilities and time-management. Others are much more highly specialised. For example, most of my job role involves learning about a specific protein characterisation technique. It is very interesting working as a degree apprentice at AstraZeneca, as you get exposure to more complicated techniques very early on (for example, most of my team were not exposed to this technique until their Masters/PhDs).

I have really enjoyed the last year and half of my apprenticeship. In terms of my role in my department, the science I have been able to learn, and support from my team, I am extremely satisfied and have no notes. The main issues I have had are related to the stress of managing university studies alongside work, and issues with getting apprenticeship specific support. As an apprentice, there are often a lot of expectations put on you, especially as we must juggle university/work/personal-life and have a big gap in knowledge compared to other employees when we first start off in our job roles. I am lucky to have an extremely supportive manager, but I know apprentices whose managers have been a lot less understanding of the pressures of university deadlines. There can also be a lack of understanding of your timescales from the wider department as not employees are as aware of the apprenticeship team. There are a lot of mental health related pressures specifically related to apprentices and I have often experienced a lack of support from the Apprenticeship Support Staff. However, I think that apprentice run ERGs have done a lot of work to improve these outcomes and are continuing to provide support.

I am studying with Manchester Metropolitan University. In terms of the degree side of my role, the university course has been extremely well-run and scheduled, with a mixture of academic units and practical units focussed on our KSBs (knowledge skills and behaviours), which provide support towards our EPA (end-point-assessment). In terms of the job role, I have had a mixed experience. Different teams / departments have preferences for how they run their apprenticeships. For example, some apprentices go through rotations, whereas others like me stay in the same job role for 4 years. During interviews or when you are accepted for your job role, it is worth asking what type of scheme you will be on. Generally, you will be okay as long as you realise that you have to act more like a professional in these settings rather than a student. A college and university, you typically a placed on a very strict schedule of when and what you will study. Meanwhile, with an apprenticeship, it is important that you take an active role in your development; this includes having conversations with your manager/team about how they envision your job role and pushing for development opportunities (e.g. asking to be put on a project you find interesting). Most managers/mentors/teams are really good at actively seeking out these opportunities for you, but sometimes you have to take a more active role, and you should never feel shy or ashamed about communicating what support you need to learn.

All apprentices are assigned a manager, a mentor and a buddy by the apprenticeship programme. It is also common for you to receive informal support from other members of your team. I have included a little summary below of the types of roles these people/ groups may take on during your apprenticeship. Having discussed with several other apprentices, a lot of us have experienced a lack of support from at least one of these people/groups. However, what I really like about the apprenticeship is that by setting up multiple people to go to, your other support networks are often able to pick up the slack from anyone who is not helping you. Overall, I have had a lot of support during my apprenticeship. In particular, my manager, buddy and team have all been absolutely amazing to me. They have taught me so much and been really supportive when I have experienced stress related to my job and from unrelated situations in my personal life. Manager – Your manager will be a member of your team who looks after your job role. They are normally involved in the admin side of the apprenticeship (e.g. attending quarterly reviews with your university/training you in different software related to your role. At least in my case, my manager has helped me massively with my day-to-day role. She was one of the people to train me in my department and is still someone I go to with scientific questions or when I need help with a complex project. Managers are often able to set-up meetings, assign projects, and search for development opportunities for you early in the apprenticeship. As you progress in your job role, you will probably need less support from your manager, but will typically still meet with them (e.g. every two weeks) to have dedicated time to talk through any help you need. Mentor – Mentors are typically a member of your team or wider department. They are people who should help you to learn more about the science related to your job. Often, mentors will we able to explain the theory behind complicated science. I also know of apprentices who have been put on their mentors’ projects as an opportunity to shadow and eventually take over their day-to-day activities. Buddy – Buddies tend to either be a former apprentice, or a current apprentice with a few more years of experience to you. Some people are assigned buddies in their team/department, but I also know apprentices with buddies from other parts of the company. In general, buddies are supposed to help you out with the more personal side of the apprenticeship, such as advice for University and listening to any issues you are experiencing. In particular, they have a greater understanding of what it is like to be an apprentice and can definitely feel like a safe person to ask “stupid questions” to. Team – Your team include scientists who work in similar job roles to you. Although they are not formally tasked with supporting your apprenticeship, they will often assist in your training and can be an extremely useful source of information.

I am extremely satisfied with the support I have received from Manchester Metropolitan University. They are especially good at taking on student feedback. For example, coursework tasks, assignments and due dates have often been adjusted thanks to student feedback received from current and previous cohorts. All of our lecturers are extremely knowledgeable in their subjects, give detailed answers to questions during live webinars, and respond very quickly to emails or team messages if you are unable to attend these live sessions due to work commitments. My only critique would be a lack of information about the EPA and final year workplace projects. If you ask questions early on about to what to expect for these final assessments, you are told that it is too early to worry. However, the shape these assessments will take is very dependent on your specific job role, and earlier access to information would go a long way to inform apprentices and their managers on how their programme should be structured.

My qualification has often included modules that are entirely related to my job role, such as the recent Biochemistry module I have been working through this term. Even where modules are not specifically related to my job, I have found the course content extremely interesting and engaging. For example, modules often help me to understand other departments better.

AstraZeneca has a number of ERGs (employee resource groups) that you can get involved with. Some of these are support-based (e.g. AZPride / Apprentice Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee), some are Early Talent related (e.g. AZ-Inspire / early talent journal clubs) and some are event related (e.g. AZ Inspire social events). There are a lot of events that can be attended or that you can volunteer to support. The company also incentivises its apprentices to take part in external careers events.

Yes

So far, I have really enjoyed my time at AstraZeneca. It is an environment where you are surrounded by extremely intelligent and talented individuals, and a place where there are countless opportunities to learn. I have been very lucky to be mentored by an amazing, supportive team and have had so much fun learning about science through on-the-job training. I have also made a lot of friends through my apprenticeship and have been welcomed into a thriving community of apprentices and early talent individuals.

• Show an authentic interest in science and the job role you are applying for – Employers / interviewers understand that because you have likely just come from Sixth Form, you will not have a lot of experience in the industry, and that is completely okay. As long as you are able to prove that you are passionate about the work AZ does and can demonstrate your potential, you will put yourself in an extremely good position to be hired. • Practice interviews with friends / family / school – I found interviewing very nerve-wracking but was able to improve my answers by setting up mock interviews with my friends, searching online for interview tips, and when I applied for other jobs during my gap year. The more practice you can get, the better. • Try to understand more about AstraZeneca before your interview – What kinds of science do we perform? What values does the company strive for? Is there a specific area of research you are interested in that AZ is also performing? These are all really good questions to ask yourself when you are researching the company ahead of your interview.