Case Study: Covance

Apprentice Name: Jessica McCallum

Apprenticeship Title: Lab Technician

Employer: Covance

Why did you decide to do an Apprenticeship?

It was an ideal way to start within the company; it gained me the qualifications I could use to go to university if that was the path I chose. I also missed out on my science A-levels in sixth form and this gave me the chance to gain the same level of qualification.

Please describe your experience

It was just like a normal job except one day a week I was at college. I managed my workload during the time spent at college so had little to do at home. Several people within the lab had science qualifications and were more than happy to help me with parts I didn’t understand; the assessment side was ok, just a bit of practise on the run up to it.

Being watched whilst working was fine as I was comfortable in my role by this point and chose a study to do that I knew covered a lot of bases.

How has your Apprenticeship helped you progress in your career?

I have now got a permanent job within the department and some of the apprentice requirements meant I had to do other work within the lab that I may not have done if I had just come in as a tech. Having this qualification may help me if/when I decide to move on

What do you feel are the advantages of doing an apprenticeship over other training or educations?

During the apprenticeship I was immersed in the lab work- as noted before it was just like having a normal job.

The break between the college days often helped my understanding- for example if one week I wasn’t getting to grips with the statistics assignment having the week at work and coming back to it often made more sense and I was more focused!By doing work in college you can relate the work back to your job and again this helps deepen the understanding