Manufacturing Technician Apprentice Review

My current placement is working with the Zoladex service team. This placement involves me cleaning, sterilising and preparing equipment used in sterile manufacturing. There are three different areas in which I can work in which are the 'white area' used for washing equipment before being placed through a washer, 'clean area' where equipment is checked for cleanliness level then prepped to go through an autoclave then lastly the sterile area where sterile kit is received and placed into the correct areas for production use.

I have learnt lots of new skills which include sterile and clean area working. I have learnt how documentation procedures work when filling out paperwork. I learnt how to take water samples and do water and steam system monitoring. I have learnt how to clean using proper 'strip wise' technique. I have also developed lots of skills such as general English writing and maths as these are both used throughout everyday of production.

I love my programme. I have had opportunities in lots of different job roles within the company and each placement has been interesting and exciting and I have met lots of friendly, kind people. My programme is well planned out which allows me to understand what I am working towards and what things I need to be doing next in order to be getting the best out of my apprenticeship.

My programme is very organised. I have lots of talks with my manager about what I want to be doing next. I have some control over which placement I want to do next and the order of placements is good and allows you to progress from a less strict working environment into very strict sterile working environments.

I receive lots of support from my employer. I regularly have checks on how my placements and college work is going and if I need any extra assistance with anything. I know if I had a problem I could contact my employer and they would make an active effort to help resolve it.

I have lots of support from Macclesfield college. They give lots of support when in college and lots of resources that I can use. They also use IT systems that allow you to continue your learning and work from home which is very useful if you need extra time to complete any college work to meet the deadlines.

I think the qualification that you receive (General Engineering Level 3) is relevant to the job role in roles such as operating technicians. Other technician jobs inside the company do not need as much detailed knowledge but knowing the technical information of how products work can help with improvement ideas around the site.

There are lots of extra curricular activities on site. These include five a side football, running clubs, access to the gym and personal trainers, networking events. Team building activities such as away days and volunteering days. There are also social events outside of work time such as our yearly Christmas doo.

Yes

AstraZeneca is an amazing company to work for, you are well respected and treated as an equal. There are also lots of opportunities for progression and you are pushed to achieve your potential. There is also a great community spirit and the job is well rewarding as you know you are part of a process that is saving lives.

Be prepared and open for new learning and following different procedures. Show you are a keen learner and want to progress once you have a job as well as showing you are a problem solver as there are lots of continuous improvement opportunities. You should also show that you are a team worker as you are joining a community where everyone is willing to support each other.