Laboratory Scientist Apprentice Review
at AstraZeneca
Degree Apprenticeship
Pharmaceutical
Cambridge
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
4.2 /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
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
4/5
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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 receiving samples from other departments within AstraZeneca and testing them using various different assays. there is also a lot of learning and development involved as well as i am constantly training to learn new assays.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
AstraZeneca's Cambridge site as an absolutely incredible place to work, I definitely enjoy being able to experience the building when i go to work. everyone at AstraZeneca is super nice as well and i always enjoy talking to them.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
The programme has hugely boosted my practical laboratory skills as i am able to confidently able to deliver acceptable assay results for my team. my academic writing ability has also greatly improved since I've started the university course associated with my apprenticeship.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
my programme is very well organised on both the working and university sides, each year every AstraZeneca employee sets out goals that they need to complete by the end of the year which allows them to maintain a consistent workload and keep on track
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
I have weekly 1 to 1s with my line manager to discuss workload, progress, etc too endure i am progressing through the apprenticeship smoothly so i do get lots of support.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
i have a tripartite review with my training provider every 8 weeks to review progress and get updates on how I'm progressing through my apprenticeship.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
the training provided by my university is tailored to suit my apprenticeship with all of the content outlining the underlying principles of the assays i run.
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
AstraZeneca has loads of optional opportunities set up by various internal organisations. all the events are worth going to and are often quite fun as well.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
Why?
AstraZeneca is definitely one of the best places to train and upskill in laboratory science
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca?
gather very strong examples of times you demonstrated the AstraZeneca values, you want at least 3 of these that can apply to any of the 5 values (you can find these online), these examples should take a lot of effort to acquire (>6 months)
