Apprentice Review

I am an apprentice manager. I mentor, train and supervise my student. This implies teaching techniques in the lab, get my student helping me while she evolves more independent, and learn how to think science critically and perform experiments accordingly. I also encourage my student to do small projects and present results internally.

I am developing my managing skills, which is one of the experience I need to advance in my career development. I think it is challenging to explain very specialised scientific concepts to someone fresh from their A levels and this is helping me to become better at presenting and explaining my science.

I am enjoying the programme a lot. Although I need to invest quite a bit of time to teach my student (especially at the beginning), I can get help to do more experiments and expand my research. In addition, it is very rewarding to see how my student is getting more independent, knowledgeable and confident in the lab.

The part of the university courses is well structured by Kent university and I do not need to spend a lot of my time supervising that aspect. There is a good organisation within apprentices in AstraZeneca where they can help each other and get a better outcome out of the program. Finally, from my experience it is nice to have the freedom to tailor the program to the current research in the lab and adapt it accordingly.

We have a very supportive AZ group that can advise and guide line managers on our duties, and how to make the most for both ourselves and our apprentices. Also, we maintain frequent meetings to cover any issues that may arise and we are reminded of deadlines or events we must or would benefit from attending to.

My apprentice receives a good support from University of Kent and I can participate in the appraisals held every 2-3 weeks. Sometimes communication is not optimal, which leads to delays and low efficiency in certain processes. However, this has been dealt with and we can already notice improvements between the interactions between our apprentices and the university of Kent.

I believe my apprentice takes her university very seriously and qualifications help her guide her perception on how much knowledge he is acquiring during her courses. I find this is a good way to assess progress and identify if there are any missing aspects of her training or theoretical learning to work towards getting them.

My apprentice does participate in networking events and meetings which take place every week/ 2 weeks. She also takes lateral skills courses in a plethora of aspects and is involved in STEM activities that improve her presentation and outreach skills. They have a good local network of apprentices which also helps them to socialise.

Yes

in AZ we can develop our career paths, interact in multidisciplinary teams and make a difference to patients. There is a very good working environment and research and development are encouraged, which helps developing creativity and scientific leadership that will be of paramount importance to succeed in the future either within or outside the company.

They should do it because there are career development options, we have access to latest available technology, we have an immediate impact in patients and make a difference. Furthermore, the core values of the company are ethical, patient-driven, encourage the scientific development and bold ideas that can make a big difference in health industry.