Manufacturing Technician Apprentice Review

To partake in different placements involved in the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical products across site at AstraZeneca. Day to day tasks include packing line maintenance, traying up of drugs, consumption of materials and observing GMP.

I have learnt a lot of new skills in every different placement here at Az. Within the warehouse teams I learnt about inventory management and batch document records, how to use EWM systems and use movi devices to record and perform moves with inventory materials. Outside of the warehouse I have learnt the basics of how to run a packing line and the processes involved in bringing jobs onto a line, completing the job and then taking said job off of the line.

I've never had a day at work where I have not been enjoying an aspect of the work I am doing so I would say I enjoy my programme to a great extent. It was my first introduction to structures such as shift work and working in bigger teams to accomplish goals and so I have thoroughly enjoyed the work environment and people I have been working in/with.

I'd say the programme is initially well organised but there are quite a few issues that would need addressing. There is plenty of information fed to apprentices across the UK via emails and the workplace platform but more focused information that would be relevant to my own apprenticeship would be preferred. For example, there is no set out rota that I am aware of that details how long each placement is or where it will be. As a result as apprentices me and the others who are on the same programme are left in the dark when it comes to when we will be moving or how much time we should invest with validations in a placement if we are only to move in a month or so. Furthermore I think a more focused approach on validation should be put in place so that whilst on different placements, certain requirements of validations are being worked towards whilst in that location so that the apprentice has something to show for it by the end of the placement outside of just the experience and knowledge gained. In my experience so far it requires a lot of persistence to become validated on tasks within work areas and in some environments, such as the warehouse, validating apprentices wasn't even an idea that was talked about.

I receive and adequate amount of support from my employer but I have not been in a position where a lot of support has been necessary yet. When I have been ill or out of work it has been easy to deal with through email support and through the use of workday but I'm yet to explore the full extent of what Az can offer. Perhaps more frequent email support from my line manager would be helpful but that's about it.

I would say that the support from my training provider has been limited. Mostly, students in the classes I attend are left to complete assignments outside of college/work and, whilst everyone is given help during referrals, I feel as though the support could be better to push students that do not suit the educational environment as well as others. In addition the course I have been doing at college, although interesting, is rather irrelevant to the work I do at AstraZeneca besides the health and safety aspects. I understand that it is a basic engineering course however and therefore there aren't many courses that would be more appropriate to my apprenticeship.

I do not feel as though my qualification aids me to perform better in my role at work. So far I'm of the opinion that betting thorough in my question asking and persistent at getting validated (or learning about new processes) has proved to be far more beneficial than investing more time into my college work. The qualification does not feel like the goal I should be working towards in this apprenticeship but rather an extra I receive at the end with a permanent job at the company being the main goal.

There are plenty of extra-curricular activities at work available to me. There are bi-weekly apprentice lunches hosted over microsoft teams and social events that have been setup by the project management apprentice here at Az. I'm also aware of 6-a-side football leagues being available to me and a good gym community within work thanks to the gym and astro turf on site and plenty of clubs that are open to new members on the Workplace site. Personally I have met work colleagues outside of work for social events and I also see fellow apprentices from college regularly for social events so there is definitely a good mix available.

Yes

I would and have recommended working at AstraZeneca to many friends mostly for the huge different in working environment to any other place I've worked in. It's much more enjoyable to work in a place where everything around you spikes your interest and makes you want to experience working in different roles to firstly propel your career but also to diversify your knowledge regarding one workplace. The people you work with, areas you work in and benefits you receive are all big reasons that I would recommend working at AstraZeneca to friends I think would do well here.

Always work to a high standard and take the work seriously as although the atmosphere is friendly there are going to be high expectations that need to be met consistently. Become familiar with the values of the company and learn to integrate those ideas into your ways of working as it will boost your image at work if you adhere to the practices put into place here at AstraZeneca. Be true to your character and don't shy away from contributing to group discussions or ideas you have about potential improvements that could be made to any aspect of the work.