More than one way...
An apprenticeship can provide an effective alternate route into a science career. Today we celebrated the graduation of new apprentices, and awarded them professional recognition in the form of RSciTech.
Kiefer Simpson had no idea what he wanted to do with his life when he finished college. "I believe that I had the capability to be pretty good academically, but I never really excelled or pushed myself – I just did the bare minimum to get through," he explains. He was reluctant to go to university, as he was afraid of investing time and money in a degree only to realise it wasn’t what he wanted to do.
It was while searching for work at the job centre that he saw an advertisement that would change everything. "It was for a forensics position and I thought 'that sounds cool!' so I applied", he says. "LGC has such a massive building and I was pretty intimidated to begin with – I'd never seen a place like that – so it was really daunting but it was exciting as well."
Kiefer found himself completing an apprenticeship programme with CSR Group, a private training provider, which is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for the RSciTech (Registered Science Technician) Award. He was employed by LGC Forensics, where he not only learned technical skills, but found a renewed motivation to push himself in his career.
"My attitude, not only to the world of work, but to everything, has changed so much as a result of doing my apprenticeship. I had to do a lot of admin work to start with, which I wasn't particularly pleased about, but the trainers from CSR motivated me to try the hardest that I could and try and take every experience that I could and use it to my benefit. Looking back I can see that it was all an invaluable experience in getting me where I am today."
Among the technical skills that he learned at CSR, Kiefer became proficient in microscopy, which he now applies in his role as a hair technician, carrying out surgeries to give people hair transplants. He has recently been promoted to manager, and he loves his job. "I wake up every morning and I can't wait to go into work – it's amazing! I didn't know that this was what I wanted to do when I started – I just applied for the role and developed a passion for it – I'm now really enthusiastic about hair transplants!"
Kiefer feels that the RSciTech qualification helped him a lot when applying for roles. "I was often going up against university graduates, and so I put as the first line of my CV that I was a registered science technician. It ended up being a talking point in a lot of interviews, and really helped me to get where I am."
A valuable contribution
Today Kiefer was the guest speaker at an apprenticeship graduation event at our headquarters in Burlington House. The apprentices had all completed one of CSR’s courses, either the Advanced Apprenticeship or the Higher Apprenticeship, and thanks to our accreditation of CSR all the apprentices were also awarded RSciTech.
"CSR Group's aim is to bring talented young and enthusiastic people into the science sector and have them make a valuable contribution to their employers and the world around them", says Simon Jukes, Director at CSR Group. "Part of this process is helping them to achieve recognition for the impact they make and the abilities, skills and knowledge they develop throughout the apprenticeship programme. Having a close relationship with the Royal Society of Chemistry enhances this massively.
"Graduating apprentices become members of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and so they have access to all that support and all those resources. They also achieve third-party recognition by being awarded RSciTech, which sets them up brilliantly for the careers ahead of them.
"All of those graduating today have achieved this milestone, which along with the qualifications gained, sees them becoming young, enthusiastic and talented scientists ready to make their mark."
Benefits for companies and individuals
Our chief executive Dr Robert Parker also addressed the graduates. "We need to give more people the opportunity to develop technical skills and get hands on experience," he said, "and that's what apprenticeships are all about. We are proud to have developed a strong relationship with CSR Group, and we are now looking to build on this model and accredit more providers of apprenticeship programmes.
"Apprenticeships benefit both companies and individuals. Companies can bring in new talent, nurture them and develop their leaders of tomorrow, while apprentices can earn money, gain experience and qualifications, and do so without having to pay student fees. It's great to see so many companies getting involved."
Apprentices of the Year
Around twenty graduates were presented with their diplomas and their RSciTech awards. Among them were two Apprentices of the Year – those who were deemed by their managers to have pushed themselves the most, both technically and personally.
This year’s Advanced Apprentice of the Year was Arthur Vie, who completed his apprenticeship at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). His manager highlighted how Arthur’s confidence and knowledge had grown over the course of his placement: "Within a period of 9 months he went from ‘college leaver’ to ‘scientist’, presenting his work at an international conference and answering questions from an audience that included world experts in the field. That is a real achievement."
"I was also impressed by his commitment and efforts for outreach work, and willingness to share his experiences with others and encourage young people to develop an interest in science."
Higher Apprentice of the Year Caitlin Harding also impressed her employers at LGC, performing data analysis without need for supervision. "This is a trusted task which is not given lightly and is usually reserved for a more senior member of staff", said her manager.
Alex Butcher, of Magna Colours, and Tonicha Roberts, of LGC, were awarded runner-up prizes.
Hard work pays off
Kiefer’s advice to this year’s graduates is simple: "Take every opportunity you can. Don't just see it as work – see it as a chance to improve your knowledge and show your employer that you're willing to go the extra mile. They're going to notice that eventually and they're going to reward you for it. You're going to be rewarded for all your hard work so take every opportunity you can and just be positive."
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