Apprentice Laboratory Technician Review

Day to day starts with usual office work, checking emails, writing reports and filling in paperwork. I then go find a mentor or coach and discuss the plan for the day or go into the labs and assess the situation. I am then tasked with different jobs from analysis to house keeping in order to maintain good lab practice.

during my time in the apprenticeship I have learnt new skills such as sending emails without over thinking the content and how to collaborate with different teams and members of staff as well as senior staff. I have also learnt how to use different instrumentation to carry out analysis to a high level of precision that I could not have achieved without going to university

I enjoy my programme as it can be what you make of it. I am proactive and often ask for more work when I feel I can handle more. this leads to more enjoyment as the staff are more than willing to show me the ropes of their areas or techniques.

my programme is semi organised, we have a rough guide to what we should be doing and when such as moving placements every 5-8 months. once we go onto site its up to us and our mentors/supervisors what we do, we can do the bare minimum or ask for as much work as possible. we are given time to do out college work if need be and the mentors are understanding. work is not usually organised for us and we are normally left to organise it ourselves.

we receive an incredible amount of support both professional and personal. our mentors and managers are very understanding and sympathetic and will try to put in place anything they can to help us succeed. they also meet with us monthly to discuss how things are going and if we need any help/support or if there is a change of circumstance they can provide support and resources

The college hardly provides any useful support and doesn't listen to our queries or suggestions. they make it so much more difficult to complete a very basic course by adding in random bits of misinformation or just confusing us to a point where we have to ask for help from our employer.

almost none. the college doesn't provide any information that we couldn't receive at work. we mainly use very old and out dated instruments and techniques at college that wouldn't be seen in the workplace. college works as a refresher for the very basic scientific principles but is no more useful than just asking a question to someone at work

There is an abundance of extra curricular activities at work including charity event, social activities within teams such as Christmas parties. You can also sign up to the RSC through work and attend any of the networking events organised by them as well as competing in the yearly team challenge.

Yes

AWE offers a variety of top level apprenticeships that can really bring out the best in people. They strive to encourage everyone to excel and offer so much support. Even if you apply for a role and end up not liking it, you can always move around to different areas/ trades as its such a big company who's always looking for a fresh pair of eyes in every skill set

Try not to worry about the application too much. Just be yourself. Even if you feel you don't have the right knowledge for the job they can always teach you the theory and skills as long as you are willing to learn and show it. I know 2/3 years seems like a long time but the more you're here the more you realise why people have stayed for 30/40 even 50 years.