The Senior Leadership Master’s Degree Apprenticeship is an 18-month Level 6 apprenticeship delivered by Pearson College London. Just like many other apprenticeships, it consists of a 20% commitment towards the learning from CRL and I.

I have been working for CRL, in drug discovery, for nearly 19 years. Before that I was a synthetic chemist within agrochemical research. You may be wondering ‘what more is there to learn for someone who has been in research for nearly 40 years?’

My current role is Group Leader in Analytics and I have progressed to this point through my participation in exploring and delivering change in utilizing technology. The aim of participating in the SLMDA is to experience tools such as project management, strategy design and planning, leadership within projects, change management, digitalisation and finance, that will empower the delivery of my future projects. I am already through two modules and though the work is intense, the topics are already proving beneficial to my work.

The SLMDA has enabled me to dust of the old researching skills and learn news tricks. Within CRL we value development as a key tool to enhance the working experience. Indeed, challenging yourself to acquire more knowledge not only adds value to the individual through increasing there capability and awareness as the world around us changes, but also grows the capability of the team and the business, brings in new ideas, challenges the status quo and ensures we are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

There is also a networking benefit through undergoing lectures with professionals from different industries with different pressures, giving a fresh perspective on topics and a broader understanding on how tools could be used plus an appreciation of how other industries operate.

I would highly recommend anyone to undertake an apprenticeship and challenge yourself to develop, may be in ways you would not have considered available before.