Lab technician apprentice Review

Jod title: Laboratory Analyst Daily tasks include analysing a number of different raw and manufactured materials (both liquid and solid) using a range of different techniques (both classical and instrumental) to test the identity and purity of these materials. My day to day work can change and i love that i can be doing different pieces of work throughout the week too.

I came into the role having had no experience of Chemistry or Chemical techniques and so since being in this role, I have learnt a substantial amount and gained a vast number of skills. In the next year I hope to develop these existing skills even further and also learn some new ones. I have been on a number of training courses that are not directly associated with my role at GSK. These include auditing courses and OE courses.

I thoroughly enjoy working at GSK and my first year has definitely out lived my expectations. The team of people I work with are fantastic and are willing to help whenever needed which shows the great work ethic within this Quality team at Ulverston. I enjoy the vareity of work i get and the employees and supervisors i work with too.

I do feel valued in the organisation because everything I do, essentially directly helps patients at the end of the supply chain, and GSK recognise that, so I am given training and the opportunity to develop the skills and areas I am interested in, in order to continue my work. I have received a number of awards during my first year at GSK, including two ERA's in recognition for my work towards certain projects and tasks.

I spent my first few months working in the main Chemistry Lab at Ulverston, I was then moved into the Raw Materials lab for what started out to be a few months. I am currently still working in the Raw Materials lab which I really enjoy and I have learnt a lot here about the bulk Raw Materials we get delivered to site. In terms of my personal development, I have regular reviews of my PDP with my manager in order to discuss my training.

The amount of support i have received from TTE was huge, our tutor would often check up on our progress and was always straight there to answer any quries i had about the NVQ work, she had great people skills and always made you want to work your hardest on the given tasks. The support recieved from the university i feel could have been alot better, there seemed to be a lack of support for the part-time students who studies the course and a lack of support for those who were struggling with certain aspects, for me, it was the maths involved.

I receive constant support from my employer, and problems i have are quickly solved and i feel like the whole team has supported me greatly over the past year, my fellow team members address any problems i have and my managers always review my performance and make sure I am coping ok with my work. Overall I pretty happy with the support i am given

Salary is okay considering I am employed under an apprentice. However, compared to living costs, travel costs and just general daily costs it can be a struggle to have enough money to last the entire month. The location is okay if you drive, however I don't drive therefore have to get an early bus just to get to work on time. Pay rises don't seem to actually increase salary by much.

As of yet i haven't had many opportunities to do activities outside of work however there are talks of more opportunities next year including apprentice team building days and representing my training provider in schools and colleges which i am eager to be involved in. Occasionally myself and some other apprentices will also meet up outside of work for a get together on the weekend.

Yes

The programme is one of the best for people with a science based head and who may not want to go to university full time. You meet a lot of nice people there and get decent help and support and also really good qualifications and you learn lots of new skills. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of applying to this company or a similar company to GSK.

Don't be put off if you're older or haven't got A-level qualifications. I left school after my first year of AS levels and worked for two years whilst studying at the OU. When I applied and came to the assessment centre, 3 of my fellow applicants had A Levels, however I was made to realise this wasn't necessarily as important as skills, attitude and personality.