Laboratory Scientist Level 6 Apprenticeship - UCB
Cogent Ssc Limited
Slough, SL1 3WE
Closes on Thursday 27 February
Posted on 23 January 2025
Contents
Summary
We are seeking a highly motivated student to join the UK Research department at UCB. You will work in the In Vitro Pharmacology group, running experiments to investigate the pharmacology of new therapeutics. This is an opportunity to work in industry-leading labs at the cutting edge of drug discovery whilst studying for a degree.
- Wage
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£19,300 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Annual salary review. Apprenticeship programme has a salary structure with annual increases subject to progress on the apprenticeship and performance in the workplace.
- Training course
- Laboratory scientist (degree) (level 6)
- Hours
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Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.30pm, with 1 hour unpaid lunch.
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Possible start date
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Monday 1 September
- Duration
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5 years
- Positions available
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1
Work
As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.
What you’ll do at work
We are currently looking for a highly motivated scientist to join the Early Solutions department at UCB’s UK Research site in Slough. You will be working in the In Vitro Pharmacology department, which is responsible for:
- Investigating the pharmacology of new chemical and antibody therapeutics
- Helping to decide which molecules to progress further towards our ultimate aim of improving the lives of patients
- You will be part of a team of scientists developing new biochemical and cell-based experiments to test the activity of these molecules, using a wide variety of different laboratory techniques.
- This role will also involve following laboratory protocols, keeping detailed and accurate records of your work, statistical analysis of your results, and presenting your work at meetings.
As well as working with colleagues in In Vitro Pharmacology, the role will also allow close collaboration with colleagues in different departments, allowing you to gain wider industry knowledge.
You will receive training in all techniques and will have your own supervisor and a mentor to provide help and advice during your time at UCB. This represents a great opportunity to work in laboratories in the pharmaceutical industry at the cutting edge of drug discovery.
Where you’ll work
216 Bath Road
Slough
SL1 3WE
Training
An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.
College or training organisation
THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT
Your training course
Laboratory scientist (degree) (level 6)
Equal to degree
Course contents
- Identify and use the scientific approaches appropriate to one specialist discipline required to solve problems, support new investigations and follow-up experiments in the laboratory.
- Appraise scientific experimentation, independently design and implement new processes according to relevant literature and other data sources interrogated using data mining techniques and input from colleagues.
- Support appraisal of scientific experimentation with numerical and statistical analysis.
- Work autonomously to analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results of laboratory work and problem solving clearly and concisely in written and oral form.
- Comply with regulations including compliance with business rules pertaining to record keeping, data integrity, traceability & confidentiality.
- Promote and ensure the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the workplace in own work and the work of others.
- Use creative thinking and problem solving techniques such as root cause analysis, to challenge assumptions, innovate, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
- Autonomously plan and prioritise tasks, review and evaluate progress against objectives and investigate alternative scenarios.
- Contribute to the development of specific technical projects across multi-disciplinary teams.
- Ensure that targets are met and maintained, within own area of responsibility, whilst complying with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
- Lead continuous performance improvement within the scientific and technical environment using process mapping & analysis and root cause analysis that is informed by other appropriate principles, such as lean, six sigma, project and change management.
Your training plan
- Training will be delivered online.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- 5 GCSE's including Maths and English (grade 4/C or above)
A Level in:
- At least 2 A-Levels, including biology (grade minimum 80 UCAS points)
Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
The individual will be working within a laboratory environment and must therefore adhere to site dress code procedures and personal hygiene standards during testing activities (e.g. correct use of PPE such as laboratory coats and glasses; and removal of all jewellery and make-up upon entry into controlled clean room areas).
About this company
Our apprenticeship and graduate services have been supporting science industry employers to attract, retain and develop people who can contribute to business success since 2012.
Company benefits
Holiday Allowance - 28 Days Holiday Allowance, plus Bank Holidays Pension - Employee 5%, Employer 3% Flexible working hours Casual dress Discount Schemes Please see the advert on the Cogent Skills Vacancy page for all benefits.
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will be eligible to apply for other positions within the business. The training will expose the apprentice to a wide range of skills and competencies which would make them well placed for further study or suitable for many job opportunities in the life sciences sector.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000298078.
Apply now
Closes on Thursday 27 February
When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.
Company’s application instructions
If you are interested in this apprenticeship, please apply for this position through the Cogent Skills Vacancy Page.