Oncology Chemistry Apprentice Review

My current role is within the computational chemistry team, in the Oncology Chemistry department. My day to day tasks include applying different computational chemistry tools/ software to current oncology projects, carrying out validation work on some of these methods which has involved programming in Python, and helping to develop new-and-improved workflows. I then also have 1 study day a week, working towards my BSc in Applied Chemical Science.

This role is very different to anything I had learnt from school or so far in my university studies, and so has been a big learning curve, but really enjoyable. I have had to really develop my communication skills and confidence by reaching out to colleagues in different teams, and even external vendors, for help and advice when carrying out newly learnt techniques, My time management skills have also vastly developed since working on, and managing many different tasks/projects at the same time.

I really enjoy my apprenticeship programme - I have been lucky to work in many teams across my whole apprenticeship and have enjoyed every placement so far. The collaborative/ team-focused culture at AstraZeneca has been clear throughout my apprenticeship so far, and has meant I have felt super comfortable reaching out to new colleagues, joining different meetings and discussions and really just asking lots of questions since I know everyone is so happy to help, and wants all of us apprentices to succeed.

My programme is very well organised, and I feel I have had a great amount of support, mentoring and training so far. I have been exposed to lots of different areas of the department and different techniques due to my apprenticeship rotation plan which has really helped my get a broad overview of roles within Oncology Chemistry and allowed me to understand which parts interest me. My programme is also flexible enough, so that I am now able to start to specialise in the area that interests me the most.

I receive a great amount of support from my employer; all of my supervisors, mentors and line-managers have been really supportive of me throughout my apprenticeship so far and all really want me to succeed. Everyone is very understanding around the time needed for university studies and exams etc. and also around our limited starting knowledge/ experience but our eagerness to learn as much as we can. There is a great community of apprentices, including the apprentice committee, and the AZ apprentice programme managers who all provide a great support network for us all.

The support from my training provider is very good - we have apprenticeship advisors from the University of Kent that regularly check-in with us and are available to answer any questions or queries around our studies. There can be difficulties around the whole process of distance learning, however I think these are very well managed by both our training provider and AstraZeneca, and they both work with us apprentices to ensure everything goes as smoothly as it can.

I do think what I am learning on my apprenticeship is helping me on a day-to-day basis in my role - the personal and professional skills that we aim to develop in-line with the apprenticeship standard we follow really helps in the workplace as it makes you more conscious of those skills and how important they are. Also, having them as 'boxes to tick' on the apprenticeship standard means you focus on developing them, including going outside of your comfort zone to get there. Theory learnt in my university studies also helps with my work - I have been able to put this into practice, and overtime helps me to understand the reasoning behind methods, experiments and content at scientific meetings at work.

There are lots of events and activities for apprentices (and others) to get involved with at work! There are committees and groups for those just starting in their career like us apprentices who help to organise both social and educational events. There are also employee resource groups, department networking events, and often different 'challenges' sent out to all employees - e.g a sports/ fitness challenge, as well as lots of other events.

Yes

From my experiences, I think AstraZeneca are a great company to work for, and I have really enjoyed my apprenticeship with them so far. I think they provide a great apprenticeship on the whole - from the workplace learning, the education, to the social side of things too. I feel really valued as an apprentice at AstraZeneca, and know I am making an impact with my work everyday.

Firstly, know what you want from your apprenticeship and check they are offering this - if so, then go for it! :-) Be excited about potentially doing an apprenticeship with them as it is a great opportunity, and really show how keen you are to learn - from my experience, they are not looking for someone who knows everything, but someone who is ready to work hard and get stuck in to their apprenticeship, and really learn and develop as much as they can.