Chemical Maufacturing Apprentice Review

My role on a day-to-day basis is to shadow qualified process manufacturing technicians and gain experience and knowledge on how the process works. I contribute my knowledge and assist the qualified operators in their jobs. I also attend college 2 days a week and also spend time completing my NVQ qualification.

I have developed many new skills since starting such as communication skills and technical knowledge. I understand the process which is ran on the different plants on site and understand the technical knowledge which supports the process. I also learned many different types of instrumentation and the function which they have.

I enjoy the programme a lot as it has helped me develop as a person and earn a salary along with this. I enjoy the technical side as it is really interesting to see how base ingredients which cost fairly little can be turned into expensive products at the end. It is also very good how secure the job is and the people around me who are very friendly.

The programme is organised excellently by the line managers who work very hard to provide a set schedule and ensure everything is running smoothly. The managers assist college and arrange monthly reviews so they always are updated on our progress. They get actively involved in our apprenticeship and are very passionate about our progress.

The employers provide outstanding support to us and ensure that our progress is monitored very often. They organise events for us to take part in to extend our knowledge and provide training courses to give us more knowledge. Our employers give regular feedback to help me improve my behaviours and skills.

Our training provider towards the college education give us a decent amount of support but arent always very well organised and motivated to help us to work towards the qualifications. However, the college assessor who helps us with our NVQ work is very helpful and gives valuable feedback to help us to pass.

Some of the information we receive from college can help us understand the technical side of our role. However, there are some units which are irrelevant to our role. Syngenta however, provide the NVQ template which helps us to understand the different criteria that we need to meet in order to be successful in our roles.

There are many extra curricular activities which we can get involved in such as; Football sessions which are organised very well, Walking clubs which help people who may be stuck indoors a lot of the time to get out and be active and there is an ice cream truck and regular visits from coffee vans which are paid for by the company

Yes

Because it is a valuable life experience which provides you with technical knowledge, a good introduction to the working environment, the staff are all friendly and you earn a salary on the side. The qualifications you gain are also very valuable as they equate to 3 A levels which will look good for university applications. Syngenta may also pay for you to attend university if you wanted to and had the right skills

Have a mature attitude and a passion for science/ chemistry. You should be a respectful person with a sensible outlook and also not afraid to get involved in extra activities such as public speaking and interviews as it is a very prestigious apprenticeship. You should be enthusiastic and gust generally a nice, caring person.