Did you know there are many different ways into working
for a company like GSK? This article is here to help. Whether you’re an
educator working with young people choosing their next steps, or you’re a
student looking for opportunities, read on to hear from a few people
who work at GSK and learn about the different paths they took, some of
which you may not have heard of before.
As a science-led global healthcare company, there are jobs in a
company like ours across a variety of areas, many of them within
science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
We have several early career programmes that allow young people to
learn on the job, while getting an education and discovering the right
job or next step for them. Get to know a few of our employees here and
find out more about some ways into GSK.
Meet Anju, Biology Laboratory Apprentice
What educational route did you take?
I always enjoyed science when I was at school and this shaped my
A-level choices; I chose Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. I found out
about science apprenticeships online, where I could get hands on
experience whilst studying towards a degree, which sounded perfect for
me. After finishing my A-levels, I joined GSK as an apprentice. I’m
currently in my third year at GSK and studying part-time for a
foundation degree in Applied Bioscience. I have also been able to
develop a lot of professional business skills which I feel that, if I
had gone to university, I wouldn’t have had the same opportunity to.
What are you excited about for the future of your job?
I recently extended my apprenticeship and will soon be topping up to
get a full bachelor’s degree. I would also like to move into a full-time
position and develop my skills further. Long term, I hope to become a
better scientist and pursue a career at GSK.
Meet James, Industrial Placement student in Biopharm Process Research
James, tell us a bit about your job.
My job involves using data to make better decisions in the
department. I’ve been developing tests to find out how cells react to
different samples and have worked hard to be able to understand and
analyse this data.
What educational route did you take?
I chose to study Biochemistry for my degree and have thoroughly
enjoyed studying this at the University of Bath. At Bath, roughly 70% of
students get placements due to encouragement and support from each
department’s placement teams. I found out about my placement at GSK this
way.
What is the best part about your job?
I get to work with industry leading experts every day, which is a
real privilege. Presenting my findings (during team meetings) has been
incredibly helpful and has changed my way of thinking. GSK is also a
fantastic company and has meant I can use technologies which I didn’t
have access to at university.
Meet Jess, Laboratory Science Apprentice
How did you get into STEM and why does it interest you?
I got into STEM through my A-level choices and then my
apprenticeship. A role where I could study science at the same time as
working really appealed to me, and it was such a unique and rare
opportunity I had to take it. In my final year of sixth form I was
incredibly lucky to have a chemistry teacher who saw my growing interest
in science and gave me opportunities to attend lectures and events at
universities in London. This helped me realise that science could be a
career for me.
What educational route did you take?
Being good at STEM subjects did not come easily to me at school and I
was not encouraged to look at a career in STEM until late into my A
levels. I had wanted to go into graphic design or music production
during my GCSEs. When choosing my A levels my main interest was in
Geography and so I chose my A-Levels (geography, maths and chemistry) to
allow for the best chance at studying physical geography or meteorology
(the weather) at university. Going through my A-levels I quickly
realised that chemistry was the subject I wanted to study, and that
traditional university would not be right for me, so I started looking
at higher and degree level apprenticeships as an alternative route. I
was lucky that I just reached the application deadlines for that year,
and so was able to start a couple of months after finishing my A-levels.
What is one thing most people would not know about your job?
Personal experience has shown that a lot of people have very specific
ideas of what a scientist is and who a scientist can be – when I first
started out, I was often met with surprise when I explained what I did.
Most people don’t realise that a big part of my job is very reliant on
computers, and that Bunsen burners have very little involvement in my
day to day working life!
Want to find out more about these ways into GSK?
Whether you’re an educator or a student, discover more about these and other ways into GSK for students.
Find out more about our apprenticeship programmes here which are open for applications now.
Industrial Placements start between June and September, simply visit our website to find out more.