Apprentice Laboratory Technician

Salary in year one:

If aged 18 to 20- £19,302 per annum

If aged 21 or over- £23,568 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 22 August 2025

The Role

The 2 apprenticeship positions will be for a period of 24 months from your start date and include a period of 3 months at the end where we will work with you on your final assessment. 

As a Laboratory Technician Apprentice, you will support the daily operations of our laboratories. This role involves assisting the technical team with the preparation of practical classes, maintaining laboratory equipment, and ensuring a clean and safe working environment. You will gain hands-on experience in various laboratory techniques and procedures, contributing to our teaching, research and engagement activities. This will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to begin your career as a technician.

These two posts are part of the Education technical community which supports the Faculty of Medical Sciences Teaching Schools: Pharmacy, Psychology, Dental Sciences, Medicine, Biomedical, Nutrition and Sport Sciences. Our community is committed to working collaboratively; sharing experience and best practice to deliver excellence, creativity and impact.   

Due to the nature of this post, you need to be at least 18 years of age to be eligible for selection. 

Apprentices who do not have a level 3 science qualification will attend a 1 week block training in Sutton Coldfield to cover level 3 BTEC in Applied Science.

How do I apply?

To apply, please complete the mandatory fields in the application form including providing an answer of no more than 250 words to the 3 questions we ask at the very end. 

We will be holding in person fun practical activities as part of the assessment, as well as a tour of the laboratory and a short interview on Tuesday September 9th. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Alison Gregory alison.gregory1@newcastle.ac.uk.

What’s in it for you?

During your apprenticeship, you will attend monthly delivery sessions and be supported by an Apprenticeship Skills Coach from the training provider (CSR Group) who will meet with you monthly to carry out observations and help you collate evidence that will be used for your final assessment. Most of this training will be hosted virtually.

They will also lead on providing you with learning and development opportunities, events, workshops, and projects to work on during the course of your normal working week with us, that will ultimately support you in achieving your Level 3 in Laboratory Technician.

You will also be assigned a mentor and manager in your host department, who will help you embed your learning into day-to-day life in the role.  They will give you the space to be able to practice and learn new skills in real life situations.  

We will also support you with workshops to support you in applying for permanent positions within the university and we hope this will be the start of your long term career journey with us.

We have over 6,000 colleagues and opportunities for you to move into more specialised positions and access further learning.

Key Accountabilities

•    Work safely in the lab, keep the area clean and tidy, and follow safety, environmental, and risk management rules
•    Help set up and clear away after lab practical classes
•    Dispose of lab waste properly, following the correct waste management rules
•    Follow quality procedures to meet required standards
•    Get ready for lab tasks using the right scientific techniques and methods
•    Carry out lab tasks by following specific instructions, like Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
•    Use the required lab instruments and equipment correctly, including calibrating them when needed
•    Produce accurate and reliable data, and keep clear records of all lab work and results

•    Look at and interpret data, notice if anything needs more investigation, and ask senior staff for help when needed
•    Share scientific information clearly and use Laboratory Information Management systems properly

The Person 

Knowledge, skills and experience

•    Enthusiasm for preparing for and performing laboratory experiments and tests
•    Willingness to learn how to use specific lab equipment and instruments
•    Able to keep clear and accurate records and help with report writing
•    Understand the importance of health and safety in the lab, including spotting and managing risks
•    Follow all lab safety rules, laws, and ethical guidelines
•    Willing to help with ordering and managing lab supplies
•    Good at solving problems and open to learning standard software programs
•    Have basic skills in statistics to process and show data clearly
•    Interested in learning how to use Laboratory Information Management Systems 
•    Open to learning about quality control procedures and workplace standards
•    Understand how to store and handle data safely, following data protection rules
•    Want to get familiar with scientific methods used to solve problems and find solutions

Desirable

•    Willing to work with donor materials in the Human Anatomy department

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Effective communication and teamwork
•    Ability to work independently and take responsibility for tasks
•    Understanding the impact of work on others, especially related to diversity and equality
•    Time management and ability to complete work to agreed schedules
•    Adaptability to change and commitment to continuous professional development
•    Reliability, integrity, and respect for confidentiality

Qualifications

•    It is essential that you have 5 GCSEs at Grade C or Level 4 and above, including Maths, English and Science

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver  Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 28438