Process research and development apprentice Review

My daily role includes carrying out research and development experiments for a variety of projects involving many different types of organic chemistry. I work on a wide range of reaction scales from milligrams to kilograms, which requires a good understanding of appropriate ways to set up a reaction to ensure efficiency is as good as it can get.

I have learnt many new skills whilst at my workplace, predominantly with my lab practical skills but also with my theoretical thinking when I approach chemistry. I can work with a large range of experimental equipment and carry out analysis of the reactions I conduct. My presentation skills have also improved as a result of having to present multiple times through my apprenticeship

I have mostly enjoyed the apprenticeship as it has enabled me to begin working in a graduate field before having my degree. I enjoy my job and have enjoyed some units of my university course, however I have found the academic side of the apprenticeship to be very difficult at times as the workload can be intense and has had me working on my studies straight after work on most weeks. The academic side requires very good time organisation unless you will either fall behind quick or be working throughout the week/weekend.

The university studies are usually organised well, the 4-year plan was shown to us at the very beginning and has mostly remained the same since. Individual units are also mostly well organised and easy to follow, coursework/exams are always outlined at the beginning of the unit. The moodle pages can sometimes be a bit unorganised however (generally theyre mostly organised) which causes a headache when having to navigate through to find a certain lecture/document.

I keep my boss up to date with my academic studies and they understand my position. If i ever need assistance with something they always attempt to help even if they need to do some extra reading to help. I can have extra time off for my studies should I need it, and I have never had any problems regarding support from other colleagues. There is a strong emphasis on uni first over work and everyone understands this.

The university is generally very helpful. The unit professors are usually pretty quick to respond to any questions you may have, and help you out to whatever extent they can. There are multiple revision/support sessions help for each unit and additional learning sessions are available for people who may need supporting in generic subjects like maths or report writing

A lot of the theory covered in the apprenticeship doesnt apply to my work-based role, organic chemistry is the only unit which really helps me think better at work. Physical chemistry can be useful for when thinking about thermal events in a reaction and then choose appropriate equipment to mitigate any risks from those events

There are no official extra-curricular activities held within my workplace, there havent been any official team-building exercises for over 2 years now due to Covid-19, and likely wont be until the end of the year for the Christmas do. However, many people at my workplace enjoy doing things together and we frequently go out after work to do sport, chill out or go out for a night out every so often

Yes

The company offers good development for people if they seek a job in R&D, QC, or any other admin/finance/hr role etc. Apprenticeships require a strong mindset and good determination to keep up to a good standard and so I would only really recommend it to people who have a determination to suceed

Be prepared to work with a diverse group of people and come in with a strong mindset for getting work done. The workload can change very quickly at times and so being able to quickly prioritise and organise the tasks for the day is also a very useful skill to have