Automation Engineer Review
at AstraZeneca
Degree Apprenticeship
Automotive Engineering
Cambridge
Review Submitted: January 2025
Overall Rating
4.3 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
My role involves directly supporting the Labs within my department, offering fixes or training on specific equipment. My role also encourages the research and acquirement of new technology, allowing me to gain experience interacting with vendors to assist the scientists within the Lab. On a day to day basis my work can be anything from physical engineering, software design, 3D printing or assisting in IT Forms and presentations.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
The programme is great as it has a good balance of both in lab engineering as well as office software coding. This allows me to gain a greater understanding of how the two correlate, making achievements much more rewarding, especially as you see how much it can help lab scientists do their work. Due to the unpredictability of the equipment you have to be flexible as people can request support at anytime, making each day different.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I have learnt many new skills while working within the Robotics team including; troubleshooting, a better understanding of coding, knowledge of project management and lab health and safety. I have also gained the core skills such as communication and teamwork, allowing me to boost my own visibility within the company, while also promoting the work I do to a wider audience.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
The structure of the Apprenticeship is to study 1 day a week while working the other 4. This structure has allowed me the time to contribute or lead projects while also perusing a degree. This structure works for most the time, however the original course was 4 years, due to the training providers request it was changed into a three year course. This therefore means university learning/assignments can sometimes take more time to complete than estimated, making it challenging when running into course issues. However the programme has a wide support group of people you can reach out to if you run into any issues.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
While my team is small the support network within AstraZeneca is wide. Through spending time on University Assignments or Work Projects I have been able to meet many new people in a range of departments. I can gain support from team members, both local and abroad, fellow apprentices, the company support ticketing system, Lab Scientists as well as the Apprenticeship Leads.
When starting at the company as an Apprentice they provide you with support in the form of your Line Manager, a Mentor and an apprentice employee.
When starting at the company as an Apprentice they provide you with support in the form of your Line Manager, a Mentor and an apprentice employee.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
The training providers every week release a webpage with 8-15 different reading activities, stretch activities, videos, tutorials or seminars. The providers strongly encourage self learning and the acquirement of your own learning resources, allowing students to be independent while also understanding the core principals of the course material.
The University is quick to respond to any issues, whether it be learning or IT related. You can request meetings with the university for any grading or exam questions, in which the professors will go out of there way to help and support you.
The University is quick to respond to any issues, whether it be learning or IT related. You can request meetings with the university for any grading or exam questions, in which the professors will go out of there way to help and support you.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
My role is heavily based on physical automation and robotics, therefore my digital technologies degree does not always allign with the role. This is due to the fact that the equipment used in the labs often have their own settings or coding system that isnt related to anything the University teaches. However the University does not just teach software engineering, it teaches a wide range of different courses, ranging from Project management, Business Studies, Business Psychology, Cybersecurity and Data Analysis. Therefore due to the wide range of learning material, over time something from the University will usually contribute to my role.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
At AstraZeneca the Apprenticeship scheme has many opportunities to get involved in activities. The Apprenticeship programme has multiple committees lead by its own apprentices that organise social events such as sporting events, dinners and pub trips, allowing apprentices to meet new people. The company also provides a wide range of communities, ranging from marathon groups, book clubs, language learning groups and even a community page dedicated to employee dogs.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
Why?
The company has so many opportunities to improve your own skills while contributing towards life altering medicine. The company actively encourages your own growth as a person, allowing you to learn new skills and contribute to how your team works, regardless of your entry level.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca?
When applying ensure you do thorough research into the companies core values: Following the science, Putting patients first, Playing to win, Doing the right thing, Being entrepreneurial. I would also recommend taking part in extracurricular activities like sports, charity work or educational events. For Lab based or Automation roles having an interest in software or robotics is promising as the Labs currently move towards a more integrated workspace. When taking part in group activities for the interview stage make sure to hear everyone's ideas. You should encourage those not speaking for their opinions, if an opinion sways the group off-task ensure you clarify the groups goal in a respectful way to allow for everyone to work together, this may involve compromising on ideas.
Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls Regulatory Affairs Summer Intern
at AstraZeneca
- Internship (1 Month+)
- Macclesfield
-
4.4
