The LMB is proud to offer a range of apprenticeships in a variety of different roles and departments, from the Mechanical and Electrical Workshops to our Estates team. Within the last year, Alex Kiss and Ava Yardley have both completed their apprenticeships in our Media Prep and Glasswash Facility, and Emma Tucker has completed her apprenticeship in our Finance department.
Media Prep and Glasswash
Both Alex Kiss and Ava Yardley have completed a Level 3 NVQ Laboratory Technician Course with Cambridge Regional College. They each had the opportunity to gain experience in many different jobs such as media preparation, fly food preparation and plate pouring. This has allowed them to learn how to use a range of machines, how to make different medias and antibiotics for the scientists to use and the intricacies of working in aseptic environments.
Both Alex and Ava also completed individual, practical projects focusing on the use of mycoplasma within the facility. Specifically, Alex investigated different mycoplasma testing methods and Ava examined how long mycoplasma samples could be kept whilst retaining accuracy. Alongside working at the LMB four days a week, they both attended college once a week where they studied Biology, Chemistry and Physics, giving them the opportunity to carry out new experiments they hadn’t encountered at the LMB and further grow in confidence in a lab environment.
Alex, who first joined the LMB as a cleaner after moving to the UK from Hungary, commented: ‘My apprenticeship enabled me to learn new knowledge and skills which I now use at work. It also helped me gain confidence in my ability to work independently, and improved my English so now I am more confident to ask for help if needed or talk to others about laboratory practices.’
On her apprenticeship, Ava said: ‘I ended up doing an apprenticeship as it gave me the chance to learn whilst earning money. It was a good experience; I learnt a lot of new things and became more confident in the lab whilst gaining new qualifications. I had to manage college work and my job, which did become quite stressful, but it worked out well in the end and did help me with my time management.’
Sue Hubbard, Manager of Media Prep and Glasswash, said ‘Completing the Apprenticeship has given both Alex and Ava more technical insight as to how different types of laboratories operate. Also it has made them more aware of Health and Safety procedures that apply to laboratories.‘
Finance
Emma Tucker has recently completed an Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship and a Level 3 AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting with Cambridge Regional College. This apprenticeship gave Emma the opportunity to learn whilst she earnt and provided additional support as she retrained for a new career. Working in the Finance Team, her day-to-day duties included developing and maintaining effective communication with stakeholders, processing invoices and credit notes in a timely manner, and resolving daily staff and supplier queries.
Emma had to complete a variety of assessments to receive her apprenticeship, including exams for each module of the AAT she completed, compiling a portfolio of evidence demonstrating her ability to meet the Assistant Accountant Apprenticeship standards and regular reviews of her progress with her line manager at the LMB and a representative from the Association of Accounting Technicians.
Emma, who started her apprenticeship to help retrain for a new career, commented: ‘I think there is a misconception that apprenticeships are only for school leavers. That’s just not true, you can do them at any age. My best advice to anyone who wants to do an apprenticeship, but is worried about their age: don’t be. Show that you are really interested in the subject, get a bit of experience (even if it’s voluntary work) and show how your life experiences can be applied to the role.’
Looking to the future, Emma is moving into a finance role within a different business sector to further develop her knowledge and skills. She plans to begin studying for the Level 4 AAT Professional Diploma, which will then give her the opportunity to become a chartered accountant if she chooses to seek further qualifications.
Further references:
Government apprenticeship website
LMB Recruitment
Phoebe Dent completes her apprenticeship in the LMB’s HR team