TELL US HOW YOU FIRST BECAME AN APPRENTICE:
I went to a Grammar School in Kent for secondary school and sixth form, which was heavily centred around university applications and had little encouragement surrounding apprenticeships. I knew that university wasn’t for me as I wanted to get involved within a workplace and gain real-world skills instead of solely studying for a degree. Therefore I conducted my own research surrounding apprenticeships and alternatives to university. I came across a couple apprenticeships/degree apprenticeships which I thought suited my skills and interests well, so I applied. I managed to progress through with the Quality practitioner apprenticeship and was accepted! I was incredibly grateful and proud as I went against the grain in my school, and have been enjoying my apprenticeship!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT APPRENTICESHIP ROLE:
My current role is Quality Practitioner Level 4 apprentice within the PharmSci Operations Quality department at Pfizer. I have had a variety of responsibilities including the triage of clinical complaints and the completion of Qualified Person Notes for Clinical product release to clinical sites around the world. (QP notes are documents which collate all of the key information surrounding a drug batch when it is being transported to a clinical site). As of recently I have been more heavily involved in the completion of QP Notes and have been conducting these to aid the QP team so that they can approve and release drug products to clinical trials sites. Furthermore, approximately 20% of my time is working towards my qualification/course, which is delivered via a training provider.
TELL US WHY YOU WANTED TO BECOME AN APPRENTICE AMBASSADOR:
I would like to become an apprentice ambassador because I think that all students should have access to the knowledge surrounding alternative career pathways. As apprenticeships were not as encouraged in my school as university, it almost felt as though my career ambitions surrounding an apprenticeship was not fuelled as much as those who wanted to go to university. Therefore, I would like to change this in schools and make sure that no matter what pathway individuals choose after Sixth form/ college, they feel supported and encouraged to pursue their ambition. I also want people to realise how valuable apprenticeships are, as you develop applicable skills, networking and self-development through professional environments.
