Click below to hear about Ava’s experiences of apprentice life and the benefits that her apprenticeship has brought to her career with AstraZeneca.
Ava talks about how she is completing her level 3 apprenticeship in Business Administration.
My name is Lucy and, in 2015, I graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in Psychology with the assumption that I would find a career path straight away, like many of my friends, and I would be set for the future. However, it did not quite work out the way I had hoped or expected.
I came across the Business Admin Apprenticeship role whilst looking through the AstraZenca job board.
How did undertaking an apprenticeship make you feel?
Due to my lack of understanding around apprenticeships prior to my application for Business Admin Apprentice I was not even sure if I would be a viable candidate. I read the job description and the duties of the role appealed to me and the chance to work for a leading Biopharmaceutical company was an opportunity that I could not pass up. I applied for the role thinking that this potentially will be the start of something great and it could be an amazing opportunity to develop and grow my skill set.
How are you finding working at AstraZeneca?
Since joining AstraZeneca as a Business Admin Apprentice in September I have been welcomed by my team with each one of them helping and contributing to my development in these first few months. I have spent time with each member to learn more about the role they play within the UK Operations Training Department which has enabled me to see how my role will help to positively impact their processes and ways of working. I have never felt like an ‘apprentice’ as I have a busy work load, I am making positive contributions to the team, my opinion and ideas are taken on board and I am able to add value in meetings. Within my role as Business Admin Apprentice I am tasked with managing the various processes within the team with the mission in making them more streamlined. I support team members with their processes and aide them with problem solving exercises to unearth why a process is not running quite as smoothly as it once was.
What support to you receive?
There is so much support from current and new apprentices, all the onboarding team, your manager and team and from your college mentor. Everyone wants you to be the best you can possibly be and collectively they are able to give you all the tools to make sure we succeed. However, in the end it is down to us as apprentices to carry forward the skills we develop and make our career a success.
