Process Engineering Placement Student Review
at AstraZeneca
Placement (10 Months+)
Chemical Engineering
Macclesfield
Review Submitted: June 2025
Overall Rating
4.6 /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!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
4.5/5
-
Skills Development
5/5
-
Support and Guidance
4.8/5
-
Company Culture
4.5/5
-
Overall Experience
4/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
Aid in the development of drug products. Attend project meetings, and work with subject experts to decide on the best course of action to move the project forward. Carry out experimental work packages in the laboratory. Work on my own individual projects to improve ways of working, either in the laboratory or in silico.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
I was responsible for progressing my individual projects without direct supervision. When I was working on a drug project I was typically working with a subject expert who helped guide me. Other responsibilities I had included organising training days and conferences.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
5/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
Developed my MATLAB proficiency, especially within image analysis and classification methods. Design of Experiments. Good laboratory technique. Have more confidence presenting. More experience organising conferences and training days.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
5/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
5/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
4/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
My line manager took on the role as my supervisor for my individual projects but was good at setting aside time to talk about both my personal and work development. The subject matter experts I worked with were very willing to help if I had questions and spent a lot of time making sure I understood what I needed to do.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
5/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
5/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
Professional but also friendly and warm. People are always happy to give you some of their time. Especially, when its someone at the start of their career asking a more senior member of staff.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
4/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
I enjoyed my placement as I felt I experienced what a job would really look like in my department. It also gave me an appreciation what different areas of work do, and the challenges they face. Furthermore, I had many opportunities of personal development and the freedom to take my own projects wherever I wished.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
5/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
4/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at AstraZeneca
4/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca
Look up the core values and practice interview questions that tie them in in some way. Try to remember that the interviewer maybe someone you work with in the future and therefore, try to convey the parts of yourself that you know you would appreciate in someone you're working with.
