Laboratory Scientist Apprentice Review
at AstraZeneca
Degree Apprenticeship
Pharmaceutical
Cambridge
Review Submitted: February 2026
Overall Rating
4.9 /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
5/5
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Skills Development
4.8/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
I design and execute lab-based experiments in my Immune oncology department and analyse the data. I work in teams with a variety of people and specialisms within the field, attending meetings to listen to other people's project or talk about the next steps in my own projects. I also present my findings to a variety of people. I get to go to a variety of courses to increase my knowledge of immune oncology and different lab techniques further.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
I really enjoy the variety in my job, no two days look the same and the science I'm executing and learning about is really interesting.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I've developed a lot of skills including presentation skills, teamwork, organisation, communication. A lot of new skills have mainly been laboratory based including flow cytometry, imaging, cell culture alongside analysing all this data.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
I attend university online once a week and work 4 days a week. My time is split throughout different teams.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
A lot of support. My managers help me with university work as well as helping me with my normal work.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
We have apprenticeship success managers who look after the more HR aspects of support, and our course leads are very supportive in helping us with any issues regarding the academic support.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
It gives me the basis of understanding behind the more in depth knowledge I have in my role in particular.
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
There's a lot of social networking. There are ERGs (Employee resource groups) including AZinspire which is open to all of the early talent professionals in AZ. They organise things like Summer balls, poster sessions, presentations, mental health support. There are many clubs including board game clubs, tennis club and we have department socials bi-monthly.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
Why?
They are very supportive. It's such a large company, so there's so many things you can learn about if you're interested- you're not limited to anything in particular or by anything either.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca?
Make sure you research AstraZeneca's Values, and find examples in your life that you've done to demonstrate those values. That could be from school projects, part-time jobs, sports clubs, reading of your area of interest outside of school. Make sure you know specific things about the department you're joining like some interesting things you've found online about that department and why you want to work within it.
