Laboratory Scientist Apprentice Review

Be an active team member who is involved in both laboratory work and in meetings. Laboratory work involving: purification of proteins using chromatography at both small scale (<50L) and large scale (<500L), spectrophotometry, high performance liquid chromatography and LAL endotoxin texting. External training such as: statistics, presentations and developing personal impact

- Use of Akta Pure chromatography systems - Use of UNICORN software - Use of High Performance Liquid Chromatography - Use of spectrophotometer - Use of LAL endotoxin device - Use of tangential flow filters - Making buffers at small scale (<20L) or large scale (<200L) - Use of Agilent BioAnalyzer - Use of single and multichannel pipettes - Use of precision balance - Time management involving use of Kanban cards - Opportunities to improve presentation skills

The programme is very and enjoyable and rewarding as each day is different. Team members are very supportive in helping me achieve my goals, furthermore I am actively encouraged to ask questions and challenge the status quo. It is rewarding to know that I am playing a key role in the team and that my daily activities affect other areas of the company.

The progamme is well structured, there is a clear training process which is supported by all other members of the team. I schedule in my 8 hours study time and my manager ensures that I get the allocated time, if there are any issues I am able to comfortably bring them up at review meetings which occur both with my manager and with the director.

My manager is keen for me to take ownership of different tasks in the team, for these tasks I am well trained by either my manager or other members of my team as I am not limited to one mentor. If I encounter any problems the rest of my team will help me to try and resolve the issue and, if necessary, I can comfortably ask for support.

Feedback is given on assignments relatively quickly and questions can be asked on either the online questions sections or by emailing the lecturer directly - responses are relatively quick. The feedback from the university is generally useful in helping my improve future assignments, however, due to an error in the marking I have once had to challenge the feedback.

My course is in Bioscience and some of the modules are useful on a daily basis - for example the structure and properties of different proteins is useful background information for experiments I carry out. Although some of the modules don't directly relate to my work, I know that apprentices in other areas find the course useful - depending on what area they are working in. For example, microbiology is not as closely related to the my role as it is for someone working in cell culture.

Apprentices have regular social events such as: nights out, going to pubs, going to restaurants etc. There are many opportunities for networking across different departments and externally in external events. Opportunities to practice and give presentations to 5-150 people have been given which is an essential skill to have in the industry.

Yes

There are so many opportunities to broaden horozons and inspire the next generation at events such as National Apprenticeship Shows, going into schools and giving talks at large events. The on-the-job training varies daily and you are given the chance to practice and consolidate your skills leading to you playing an important role in the team.

Applications can be made on the government website, a phone interview and a physical interview may then take place afterwards. On the interview day my laboratory skills were assessed although this was checking that I would ask for help rather than competence using equipment. Apply for each and every apprenticeship that interests you as it is very competitive so you need to maximise your chances of getting an interview.