Laboratory & Associated Technical Activities Apprenticeship

What is an Apprenticeship?

An Apprenticeship is a work-based learning programme designed to give you the skills and knowledge needed to develop your prospects and career in the industry. By starting an Apprenticeship in Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities you begin the first step to a challenging and exciting career. With a mature, responsible attitude, you will need to be keen and willing to learn, have good communication skills and be able to work with others. In order to begin the Apprenticeship, ideally you should have achieved GCSE’s of C grade and above in Maths and Science.

The Advanced Apprenticeship is the natural progression once you have completed your Level 2. This is identical in structure to the Apprenticeship; however learning is at Level 3 which is equivalent to ‘A’ Level standard.

How do I find an Apprenticeship?

The first thing that you need to do is find a job. Engineering Apprenticeships are work-based, which means you need to be employed in an Engineering job role before you can start your training.

There are many places you can go to find a job; Connexions, the Apprenticeship Vacancies Website, local papers, Internet job sites and Job Centre Plus. You can also try friends and family to see if they know anyone who may have a vacancy.

Once you have gained employment contact Total People!

What happens then?

Total People will send one of their Training Advisers out to you. They will sit down with both you and your employer to arrange your learning plan. Your training will require you to attend college for one day a week. Your employer will give you time off to attend your classes and meet with your Training Adviser.

How long will it take?

The time taken to complete your NVQ programme depends upon you; how quickly you want to do it. However it normally takes between 2-3 years to complete but again this varies depending on how you learn and study best.

The Technical Certificate is delivered at a college, therefore you will tend to start in September and finish around May / June time.

The other element of your Apprenticeship, Functional Skills, takes around 12 months to complete, but again is dependant upon you!

Completing your Apprenticeship

Your Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities Apprenticeship is made up from the following core elements

• NVQ
• Technical Certificate
• Functional Skills
• Employment Rights and Responsibilities (ERR)

Your NVQ portfolio is like a work diary, it records your activities and experiences. Your portfolio is assessed to make sure you are competent. Your work will be assessed at your place of work. Within your NVQ, there will be 5 units which you will have to complete and then a choice from 14 optional units which you and your employer can decide upon according to the nature of the business you are working in.

The Technical Certificate gives you the underpinning knowledge needed to carry out the tasks of your NVQ. You can either work towards a Higher National Certificate in Biomedical or Biochemistry Science or towards a BTEC National in Applied Science.

Functional Skills are similar to Maths and English GCSEs; however learning is specifically focussed around Laboratory Operations. There will be a choice of two Functional Skills which are relevant to your industry.

Further Progression

You will gain work-based practical experience and knowledge of Engineering, all leading to nationally recognised qualifications. You will then be in a position to progress up the career ladder to more senior jobs such as a supervisor, manager or develop your technical skills to become a specialist in Non Destructive Testing, Quality Management, Engineering Design or Structural Engineering. The Apprenticeship route can provide a pathway into further study at degree level.