Industrial Placement Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my year placement at AstraZeneca. I had minimal lab experience going into the role but now with the encouragement and guidance of my managers and teams, I am both confident and independent in my lab activities. As a student, you are trusted and supported to conduct research like any other member of staff. I was able to design and conduct a project myself that will have a beneficial impact on the workflows of my teams. The social aspect of the Placement Programme was also great. The programme encourages students to connect, which enabled me to have a strong support system, both inside and outside of work.

I felt highly valued by colleagues. Students are trusted to use lab equipment and conduct experiments independently. I never had to do unnecessary lab support tasks, which really highlights the value AZ place on students. Within the labs, there is constant support and I never felt that I was bothering anybody when asking for help with a task. Scientists are more than happy to support your project and your science, whether that's giving feedback on results, discussing future experiments or training you on a technique. There's a great sense of support for all student programmes, whether that be Industrial Placements, Apprenticeships or Grad/Post-Grad positions.

My project was 'cross-functional; meaning that I had two teams and two labs throughout the duration of my project. This also meant that I had two managers. My managers were exceptionally supportive of my project and myself as an individual. The guidance, training and feedback they gave me really enabled me to achieve what I did during my placement year. My only feedback is that during my managers' busy deadline periods, organising impromptu meetings to discuss data or get support in the lab became difficult. However, they would always ensure I got the support I needed whether this be through themselves or indirectly though another colleague.

Being based in two labs, I had two different sets of experiments to plan into my week. I always had sufficient time to complete this lab work, but organising this did test my time-management and coordination skills! During busier lab weeks, I did sometimes struggle to keep up with data analysis and experiment write-ups. Sometimes this became overwhelming. However, I could complete these retrospectively in weeks where I was waiting for cells/reagents. Initially, I struggled with the peaks and troughs in lab activity as I felt like I was being unproductive - but soon realised desk activities are just as important!

As previously mentioned, I was given full responsibility for my project. Whilst daunting at first, I was supported and coached through how to search literature, design experiments and guide a project by my managers. I became independent very quickly in the lab, after having no previous lab experience. Being given this responsibility has really empowered me and progressed me to become independent and confident in my research capabilities

After my placement, I will return to uni to complete the final year of my Biochemistry MSci. A compulsory part of the final year is a lab-based project. The scientific skills I have learnt during my placement year directly transfer to my MSci project and will greatly assist my research in my new lab. I have also developed countless soft skills from this experience - time management, professional communication and resilience to name a few. I feel that I will be greater equipped going into future employment of the back of my placement experience.

Both the office and lab environments were super friendly and approachable. The open plan layout and abundance of break out areas really helped support this. The lab spaces were rarely overcrowded and colleagues were always there to support - regardless of how 'silly' you thought your question was! Every Friday we had 'Friday Morning Talks' where a colleague would present their current research, which as a student was really great to be exposed to. Overall, colleagues were keen to get involved in activities, events and presentations on-site. This often meant a lot of cake!

In my experience, the placement was well organised, but I think this largely stems from your manager's supervision. We had initial staff training organised by the central placement team and then largely became independent from them. This is a feature of the programme, however, I knew who to contact centrally if I ever had an issue with the programme itself. It's worth noting that during the COVID-19 situation, the placement organisers were really supportive and ensured all students were informed. They even sorted work experience in other business departments, such as HR, for students who could no longer access the lab.

Within my lab role, I was trained across a multitude of techniques, including molecular biology, LC-MS, HP-SEC, CGE and HIC to name a few. Many of these techniques were not included in the initial project plan but I was trained as I expressed interest in them. Outside of my lab role, I regularly attended training sessions and symposiums. There is a site for AZ employees with a list of all training courses available. You are encouraged to attend these as part of your development and these are paid for by the company.

The graduate roles within AstraZeneca look like great training opportunities and an excellent follow on from the Placement Programme. The Early Careers team have been really proactive in highlighting these future employment opportunities to us, not only lab-based programmes but also those in other business functions. If given the opportunity, I would definitely work for AstraZeneca again.

The social aspect of placement was a real highlight. Even before employment, students were invited to an induction day where all of us made friends and were able to organise living arrangments together. This made the prospect of moving to a new city much less daunting. Outside of work, we regularly organised meet-ups and social activities - punting, trips to London, nights out etc. Having a good social network made having a work/life balance a lot easier! At work, the early careers network AZInpsire also organised lots of social events, such as BBQs, bowling and ice skating, which allowed us to meet placement students/apprentices/grads from other Cambridge sites. Within my teams, we had dedicated colleagues who organised social events. These events were a great way to integrate and get to know my colleagues better.

Cambridge is an expensive city to live in. I lived centrally, so my rent was very steep, however, cheaper rent can be found further towards Addenbrookes. The site I worked at provided a commuter bus that was fully funded by AZ and as I lived close to all the shops and bars, I had no travel costs. (Also, it is true the easiest way to get around in Cambridge, so I would suggest getting a bike!) Socialising was expensive - similar to, if not equal to London prices. There are cheaper places to have a meal or a drink and these became favourites of the students! However, the salary was more than sufficient to cover all bills and socialising, so don't let the cost of rent put you off.

Coming from a large Uni city, the nightlife was not comparable, but I didn't expect it to be. There are some good pubs and bars and I never had a 'bad' night out. The train to London is only a £12 return, so for a big celebration, we would go out there.

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in STEM outreach activities. I volunteered at various events across the year and it was a really rewarding experience! Also, charity events for the AZ Charity of the Year were held monthly. These included boat races and half marathons to name a few.