Hosted by Geoff Davison from Bionow, the session featured five inspiring young apprentices from leading organisations Pharmaron, United Utilities, and business partners Alfred H Knight, AstraZeneca, and CSL Seqirus.

The students also heard from alumni Sian, who is currently a second-year apprentice at United Utilities, and Kira, an ICP apprentice with our business partner, Alfred H Knight. With science apprenticeships becoming highly competitive, the panel shared advice on how to find apprenticeships, what they involve and how their experiences have better prepared them for their careers. Students also received practical tips on standing out from the crowd in their own applications, networking on LinkedIn and balancing university study days with workplace responsibilities.

The event concluded with an "Ask Us Anything" Q&A, where panellists discussed handling application rejections, earning a salary, and why they chose this route over traditional university pathways. It was a fantastic session that left our students equipped and motivated to kickstart their own scientific careers. Thank you to all the apprentices who visited. Your insights and experiences are invaluable to our students as they consider their future careers.