User Experience Apprentice Review
at AstraZeneca
Degree Apprenticeship
UX/UI Design
Macclesfield
Review Submitted: April 2026
Overall Rating
3.9 /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!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
3.8/5
-
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
My role involves capturing insights on how the end users behave and what they actually experience when using a service or product, and ensuring their needs are addressed throughout the development lifecycle. This usually involves some form or user research (e.g. conducting user interview, surveys or testing the product with users etc.), and can span across the project through to design, where we may ideate solutions to the users' problem, then create design prototypes to test early and get feedback from users with, to inform the design direction of the final product. It also involves collaborating with various stakeholders such as Developers and Business Analysts to determine a solution that is technically feasible and hold business value.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
I really enjoy learning the skills needed for this field through experience and exposure, paired with the education from the university and the learning resources from my workplace. Given that the very nature of this field requires working with people, I am glad to have had the opportunity to work on real projects with real users and team members, building my confidence in interacting, collaborating and influencing people, something that cannot be gained from pure theory. The people I've worked with have been amazingly supportive of young talent and are eager to share their knowledge and answer all my questions no matter how many times I come to them, I have made unforgettable connections within this company and I hope to maintain them no matter where I end up by the end of my apprenticeship.
However, there are a few things that have slightly diminished the experience. Since my 2nd year of the apprenticeship, there have been frequent organisational changes, which has resulted in a series of lost opportunities that have prevented me from developing my UX skills to their fullest extent; such as loss of mentors due to redundancies, missing rotation opportunities to other teams due to them being destabilised and therefore not having capacity to take on apprentices, less design experience as the initial period of redundancies left us with little to no designers left on the team, and training that would have been essential to my learning being scrapped. Although I'm aware these circumstances were beyond the control of my team, they have undoubtedly affected my experience negatively, and prevented my development goals of becoming of a well-rounded UX professional by the end of my 4 years as an apprentice.
However, there are a few things that have slightly diminished the experience. Since my 2nd year of the apprenticeship, there have been frequent organisational changes, which has resulted in a series of lost opportunities that have prevented me from developing my UX skills to their fullest extent; such as loss of mentors due to redundancies, missing rotation opportunities to other teams due to them being destabilised and therefore not having capacity to take on apprentices, less design experience as the initial period of redundancies left us with little to no designers left on the team, and training that would have been essential to my learning being scrapped. Although I'm aware these circumstances were beyond the control of my team, they have undoubtedly affected my experience negatively, and prevented my development goals of becoming of a well-rounded UX professional by the end of my 4 years as an apprentice.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
Over my time here, I have gained a lot of confidence in my work. For the first 2 years, I spent time shadowing and supporting the team on research projects, gaining the skills to plan and conduct most of the common user research methods such as user interviews, usability testing, thematic analysis etc.
I've also been able to support on some design projects, creating prototypes using design system components and ideating with the feedback of a senior designers, learning what considerations a designer needs to make in terms of interaction design. On other projects I have contributed to mapping out information architectures or wireframing, using design as a tool to help visualise structure and information.
Additionally I have had the chance to rotate into 2 other teams during my apprenticeship. The first one was a Business Analysis team which allowed me work with and manage stakeholders extensively, building my confidence in that area; work on improving services and the tools used to map the user journey beyond a product experience, how to elicit requirements from a business standpoint; and how to adapt my communication style to the stakeholder, I was also the 'UX-expert' within the team so it was a great opportunity to lead and consult on our research approaches from a UX perspective independently.
The second rotation was with a different UX team that mainly specialised in dashboard design, I had to opportunity to lead as a designer, once again increasing my confidence as an individual; co-create with users; work with BAs and Developers to ensure my designs were viable and feasible; map user flows, try experimental methods to elicit requirements; and work on data visualisation, it was an overall freeing experience that allowed me to explore different approaches to a problem, with the guidance and support from my manager when I needed it, allowing me to truly grow as an independent UX professional.
I have also participated in various additional activities, such as an Inclusion & Diversity Roadshow, where I educated people within the company on the importance of Digital Accessibility; an Early Talent Show, where I shared an interesting project I worked on along with a colleague to the wider Early Talent community; and external apprentice events, where I share my experience and advice as an apprentice to other budding talents within colleges and schools. Overall this has immensely improved my presentation skills, increasing my drive to share my knowledge where I can, which is a big step-up from the shy, hesitant person I used to be.
I've also been able to support on some design projects, creating prototypes using design system components and ideating with the feedback of a senior designers, learning what considerations a designer needs to make in terms of interaction design. On other projects I have contributed to mapping out information architectures or wireframing, using design as a tool to help visualise structure and information.
Additionally I have had the chance to rotate into 2 other teams during my apprenticeship. The first one was a Business Analysis team which allowed me work with and manage stakeholders extensively, building my confidence in that area; work on improving services and the tools used to map the user journey beyond a product experience, how to elicit requirements from a business standpoint; and how to adapt my communication style to the stakeholder, I was also the 'UX-expert' within the team so it was a great opportunity to lead and consult on our research approaches from a UX perspective independently.
The second rotation was with a different UX team that mainly specialised in dashboard design, I had to opportunity to lead as a designer, once again increasing my confidence as an individual; co-create with users; work with BAs and Developers to ensure my designs were viable and feasible; map user flows, try experimental methods to elicit requirements; and work on data visualisation, it was an overall freeing experience that allowed me to explore different approaches to a problem, with the guidance and support from my manager when I needed it, allowing me to truly grow as an independent UX professional.
I have also participated in various additional activities, such as an Inclusion & Diversity Roadshow, where I educated people within the company on the importance of Digital Accessibility; an Early Talent Show, where I shared an interesting project I worked on along with a colleague to the wider Early Talent community; and external apprentice events, where I share my experience and advice as an apprentice to other budding talents within colleges and schools. Overall this has immensely improved my presentation skills, increasing my drive to share my knowledge where I can, which is a big step-up from the shy, hesitant person I used to be.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
From both the training provider and employer standpoint, the organisation of the programme could have been better. Although, the issue is that I was the first UX Apprentice in my company, and one of the UX Apprentice cohorts in my Uni, very much making me the 'guinea pig' as I'd heard so many times.
The training provider lacks in terms of design content, one of the core skills a UX designer needs to develop, and could have been put in place of modules that were essentially duplicated (e.g. 2 ethics modules, 2 psychology modules etc.).
The employer had never had a UX apprentice before, however, they had hosted Digital & Technology Solutions apprentices for many years, so they could have drawn from that experience to ensure there was a learning plan for their apprentice, that there were mentors in place for the various aspects of UX, that they ensured to give their apprentice more responsibility in project as they grow in confidence and abilities etc. Instead, I have been the test subject, and have hopefully shaped a better experience for future apprentices through my feedback.
The training provider lacks in terms of design content, one of the core skills a UX designer needs to develop, and could have been put in place of modules that were essentially duplicated (e.g. 2 ethics modules, 2 psychology modules etc.).
The employer had never had a UX apprentice before, however, they had hosted Digital & Technology Solutions apprentices for many years, so they could have drawn from that experience to ensure there was a learning plan for their apprentice, that there were mentors in place for the various aspects of UX, that they ensured to give their apprentice more responsibility in project as they grow in confidence and abilities etc. Instead, I have been the test subject, and have hopefully shaped a better experience for future apprentices through my feedback.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
I'm pretty well-supported when it comes to my team, they're always happy to help both from a Uni and development perspective. Though it is sometimes difficult to find time for University commitments due to project workload increasing at inopportune moments.
It is only the recent organisational changes that have continuously thrown a wrench to any development plans for the past 2 years, but the team themselves try to ensure that I'm still getting the support and experience needed to develop into a UX professional.
It is only the recent organisational changes that have continuously thrown a wrench to any development plans for the past 2 years, but the team themselves try to ensure that I'm still getting the support and experience needed to develop into a UX professional.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
The training provider was generally very open to feedback and have made improvements for future cohorts regarding the issues we've raised.
The assignment support has been mixed as it really depends on the lecturer for the module. With some being more vague and sparse with their feedback while others offer very useful materials and feedback sessions.
The support I've received from my skills coach has been really helpful in the sense of keeping myself on track for both my Uni and work goals, and overall being a great way to debrief and reflect on my experience every quarter.
My skills coach has also been crucial in the final year to bounce ideas for my final synoptic assignment, receive direction on how to enrich my content, and talk through solutions for any blockers I faced.
The assignment support has been mixed as it really depends on the lecturer for the module. With some being more vague and sparse with their feedback while others offer very useful materials and feedback sessions.
The support I've received from my skills coach has been really helpful in the sense of keeping myself on track for both my Uni and work goals, and overall being a great way to debrief and reflect on my experience every quarter.
My skills coach has also been crucial in the final year to bounce ideas for my final synoptic assignment, receive direction on how to enrich my content, and talk through solutions for any blockers I faced.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I would say the basic information around research methods, theories and ethics has been really useful in my role. They also cover a broad range of methods or frameworks that we can use and apply to our workplace, which I think is really good for exploration on what works and doesn't for our own workflow, the only issue is that there isn't always room to try these out in the workplace as there are established standardised ways of working and how closely those are followed depend on the team you're in. However, I like that the work-based assignments give you that opportunity to explore broader techniques, and the university provides tools to try, such as the eye-tracking equipment and AR/VR sessions.
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
Yes, there are plenty of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that you can be a part of and various internal events to support in relation to these. I've participated in internal events such as the Early Talent Showcase, the Ops Inclusion & Diversity Roadshow, and the IT Showcase, to raise awareness of the work we do within the workplace and the importance of accessibility and user experience.
There was also the opportunity to attend the Pistoia Conference in Stevenage, and we had bi-annual meet-ups between the Cambridge and Macclesfield team. However these opportunities were later gone after the reorganisations within the company.
From an apprentice standpoint, there were get togethers with my cohort in the early years, and throughout the apprenticeship there have been opportunities to attend various outreach events and activities within colleges, universities and schools to raise awareness around apprenticeships as an alternative education path, the most consistent one I have participated in more than once is the Festival of Apprenticeships hosted in Manchester Metropolitan University.
There was also the opportunity to attend the Pistoia Conference in Stevenage, and we had bi-annual meet-ups between the Cambridge and Macclesfield team. However these opportunities were later gone after the reorganisations within the company.
From an apprentice standpoint, there were get togethers with my cohort in the early years, and throughout the apprenticeship there have been opportunities to attend various outreach events and activities within colleges, universities and schools to raise awareness around apprenticeships as an alternative education path, the most consistent one I have participated in more than once is the Festival of Apprenticeships hosted in Manchester Metropolitan University.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AstraZeneca to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Most of the issues I faced was due to bad timing as I joined around a time when the company was going through major organisational changes. In general it is a really good environment for people just starting out in their career as there is plenty of support and opportunities for development available within the company. The people I've met there are lovely and really care about your future as a emerging talent and will do their best to get you where you need to be.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AstraZeneca?
I think sometimes things can be a bit slow-going and disorganised within the company, so you need to be assertive from the beginning around your development needs, actively seek out opportunities otherwise they will slip away and may not appear again.
Network as much as you can, you may do that through joining ERGs, building connections through projects, rotations or extracurricular activities, there's many great mentors and lifelong friends for you to meet within AstraZeneca, and it may open more opportunities up for you.
When applying, there's a large emphasis on the AZ Values, and they have an interview section specifically for that, so make sure you read up on these and think of examples you can use that demonstrate how you align with those values.
Network as much as you can, you may do that through joining ERGs, building connections through projects, rotations or extracurricular activities, there's many great mentors and lifelong friends for you to meet within AstraZeneca, and it may open more opportunities up for you.
When applying, there's a large emphasis on the AZ Values, and they have an interview section specifically for that, so make sure you read up on these and think of examples you can use that demonstrate how you align with those values.
