Manufacturing Apprentice Review

Day-to-day working in the manufacture of medicines for distribution under the GSK brand worldwide to help improve lives. The manufacture process involves taking raw materials, dispensing these into precisely weighed quantities and following a manufacture guide using heated and cooled vessels with stirrers and other such equipment. My other work within the area includes completing routine work such as cleaning of product contact equipment and use of disinfectants for maintaining a clean environment for safe manufacture.

Developed much better communication skills through attending hand-over meetings with managers and other shift team members. By completing the GSK sponsored DofE award I have become far more effective in my teamwork and leadership skills, important in the workplace. Accuracy and precision are also essential in this line of work owing to the criticality of the products we manufacture so these have become much improved during my time. Attainted a level 3 NVQ and currently on track to achieve a HNC in engineering.

Although working in a factory environment you feel as though you are making a real difference, particularly when you read about GSK cases on the news such as the work the company are doing with regards a Covid-19 vaccine. Therefore the sense of accomplishment is high within this sector which is very morale boosting. It also is good to be able to be depended upon as part of a team and feel yourself developing both personally and professionally. Sometimes the workload can be overwhelming with the HNC giving tight deadlines that results in lots of homeworking being needed after finishing your shift.

The programme does have a basic level of organisation with how you should be progressing between the different years of the course. This doesn't always work in practice with a lot depending on how your personal manager views the apprentice scheme and your importance to their own area. Often times you can find yourself stuck in an area or not being trained in an area as they don't view you as worth training if you'll be rotating out in 6 months. The educational aspect is well structured with the NVQ in the first year and HNC in the second, although the HNC feels very quickly completed.

GSK are very supportive with regards completion of college work, they allow study time for work on assignments and the block release time to attend lessons. There is still a lot of homeworking required but this level of support is certainly good. It can be difficult at times to get help from managers as no-one can take responsibility for you at times due to being an apprentice and not assigned to their technical areas.

The training provider Gen2 are very unimpressive, with unhelpful tutors that do not respond to emails for help or feedback. It has taken months for handed-in assignments to be marked and grades to be sent back so no improvements can be made to your grade. The support is not good at all with the transition of the course to virtual due to the pandemic, feeling like no modification has been done to the course requirements despite us not being able to attend in person. Some tutors have even gone to sleep on Teams video calls and do not teach but instead just hand out assignments and leave us to it.

The qualification of an engineering HNC will look impressive on a CV and can be somewhat helpful to understanding the methods of operation of some equipment we use on site. Really though the course is not that applicable to the manufacture process and is based far more around engineering which isn't so much as part of my job role.

Obviously Covid has impacted upon my ability to get involved in these but in regular times there are a number of extra-curricular activities. These include the GSK sports and social club, a football team and gym. We have apprentice social events with nights out in York and Newcastle and have had the chance to complete the DofE award. GSK offer a lot of "talent talks" with more senior members of site sharing their journeys with apprentices which are helpful.

Yes

GSK is one of the best respected employers nationally and particularly locally within the North East, it is an impressive company to have worked for and you do genuinely feel like you are making a difference to peoples health and wellbeing. The compensation is good with all the same benefits offered to apprentices as full-time members of staff. There is ample opportunity for development and growth and the HNC is a valuable qualification that GSK helps you attain whilst also gaining practical skills in a factory environment.

Reading up on the GSK values as these are a key part of the recruitment process. Knowledge of general pharmaceutical ways of working such as ALCOA is also helpful and will impress recruitment staff. General advice such as confidence in the interviews and assessment centres and working well with the other candidates are also crucial for a positive interview outlook.