Why did you choose a degree apprenticeship?

I was very passionate about chemistry and continuing my education, but I was also getting fed-up of classroom-based learning. I wanted to embrace the hands-on world of work and all the challenges that it would bring. I wanted to be able to put all my learning in to practice on a day-to-day basis. Completing a degree apprenticeship, therefore, seemed like the best of both worlds. I was also ready to be earning money and the freedom that would offer. For example, being able to run a car and buy my own house.

Looking back over your time on the programme, how have you found the whole experience?

The experience has been challenging, mostly in terms of managing your time to make sure you are meeting the demands of both work and university. However, the whole experience has been positive and has shaped me as a person and made me much more self-motivated, efficient, and able to plan and meet all deadlines. I have had fantastic support from the tutors and staff at Manchester Met as well as from my managers and colleagues at work which has made all the difference. Looking back, I would say all the hard work and determination has paid off.

What did you enjoy the most?

The part of the programme that I enjoyed the most were the residentials. I enjoyed getting to meet other apprentices in similar roles to myself and learning all about their companies and what they do on a day-to-day basis. It also helped make us feel like we were part of Manchester Met despite the course being distance learning for the most part. It was great getting to use the facilities like the labs and the library and meeting all the tutors face to face who we had only seen over webinars before.

You recently won the ‘Yorkshire and the Humber Degree Apprentice of the Year’ award. What does it mean for you to win and to be recognised at a regional level? What aspects of your work contributed to you winning the award?

My manager suggested that I apply for the apprentice of the year award and I never in a million years thought that I would win for my region! It meant the world to me for my manager to believe in me enough to suggest it, so to win was amazing. I felt very lucky to be recognised amongst some of the biggest companies and some of the brightest young apprentices this country has to offer. I am extremely happy to have been a part of these awards which celebrate the successes of and promote apprenticeships. I think there is stigma surrounding apprenticeships where people think it is a second-best option to going to university full-time (e.g. if you did not get the grades). I just hope that me winning this award as a straight A student who chose to do an apprenticeship will help to show that this is not the case at all. In a competitive world of work, not only do I have a degree, I also have 5 years of work experience in the relevant industry under my belt which actually gives me an advantage over those who went to university full time.

The aspects of my work that contributed towards me winning this award include my involvement in large scale growth projects for the site. This involves trialing and implementing new and innovative technology to improve product quality and sustainability and increase capacity to meet growing customer demands. To do this I work in a multi-disciplinary team of chemists, engineers, and production personnel.

How has your Degree Apprenticeship supported your career progression?

Graduating from the foundation degree in chemical science allowed me to progress from a Quality Control Analyst to an Associate Development Scientist. Then when I graduated from the top-up to BSc (Hons) in Chemical Science with a first-class honour’s degree, I was then promoted again to become a fully qualified Development Scientist. After my success with my distance learning degree apprenticeship at Manchester Met, Croda are now encouraging me to complete a master’s level course, potentially in chemical engineering to support my career progression. 

How has your role changed over the TIME you have been with Croda?

I have been at Croda for five years and my role has varied massively over this time. I feel I have got to experience a wide range of responsibilities across the site so far. I started in the quality control department where I was mostly analysing and approving both incoming raw materials used in production and final manufactured products before they were released to customers. This included standard ‘wet’ analysis as well as more complex techniques for trace residue analysis such as gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). From QC, I moved into the process development department where my role is all about optimizing site manufacturing processes from laboratory to full-scale production. My role includes identifying problems and delivering creative solutions by undertaking detailed investigations and trials in a multi-disciplinary team to maximize product quality, right first time, capacity, and sustainability. As part of my role, I often produce development samples in the laboratory to send to external customers for evaluation.

Would you recommend a Degree Apprenticeship, and do you have any advice for future apprentices?

I would 100% recommend a degree apprenticeship to anyone. It is hard work, but my advice would be to stick with it, and it will pay off in the end and be a great move for your career. The work experience and real-life application alongside the qualification is invaluable. There is opportunity to learn from a wide range of people during an apprenticeship, from the academics and lecturers to the industry professionals in the workplace – take advantage of this as much as you can!

What’s next for you?

I would love to diversify more into the chemical engineering side of things as I have been working closely with this department on a lot of my projects and am very interested in this area. I am therefore looking to complete a masters level course in this area in the future. Hopefully, my future will be long and successful here at Croda and I can continue to progress, learn, and add value to the company.

Manchester Met have been fantastic. The course was just the right mix of academic and more applied, project-based content. The projects were very useful to allow me to apply my learning in my workplace and get me speaking to people from all different departments and levels within the company. Elements of the course also touched on health and safety, Quality Assurance, business improvement and environmental management – all of which are important for any role in the chemical industry. The staff and lecturers were all very helpful and supportive and quick to respond to any concerns or queries. Despite being distance learning I did not feel at all disadvantaged compared to full-time students and the resources made available to us were plenty.