Science Technician Apprentice Level 3. August 2025 start date.

Summary

Soar Valley College invites applications for a new apprenticeship within their excellent Science Technician team, supporting teaching and learning across the large department.

Wage

£17,237.56 a year

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We offer a range of benefits which will be discussed with you at interview stage

Training course

Laboratory technician (level 3)

Hours

Monday - Thursday, 8.00am - 4.00pm. Friday, 8.00am - 3.30pm. Term time only (38 weeks) plus 20 hours holiday time.

37 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 21 August 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

The Technician team supports the teaching and learning across the department, setting up and clearing away experiments, and ensuring resources are available. More specifically, the daily responsibilities are:

To ensure students and teachers have the relevant materials and equipment which will assist their learning, deal with student requests and any last-minute changes.
To prepare apparatus, chemicals and stock solutions for all science lessons as requested by teachers, schemes of work and worksheets, on a day-to-day basis, washing and storing glassware etc. as and when required.
To arrange and collect items from various outlets, e.g. hearts, lungs, maggots, plants, buy basic chemicals needed, e.g. sugar, salt, batteries.
To assist in the setting up of databases, re-planning of department resources, recommending improvements in the replacement of materials and assisting in deciding appropriate action, often when minimal information is provided.
To assist in researching new and replacement equipment and materials, taking telephone calls from suppliers and contractors, ordering supplies, recommending improvements and dealing with queries where able to do so to help the Science department meet curriculum requirements.
To ensure the setting up and clearing away of resources, equipment and materials used is carried out correctly, reducing potential injury and inherent hazards to the students, teachers and yourself. This will sometimes involve working with acids and hazardous items (associated with science labs) and strict handling procedures must be adhered to at all times, especially when clearing up any spillages.
To be accountable for the safe and correct storage of equipment, chemicals and other supplies in accordance with Health & Safety guidance. Equipment must be monitored and checked and be suitable for class use. Plants must be cared for, ready for experiments and observations – leading stock control on all equipment.
To arrange for the disposal of biological and chemical residues and other waste as laid down by Health and Safety Codes of Practice, carrying out routine safety checks on apparatus and materials as necessary.
To support the teacher in the classroom and when visiting another school or local science groups, and occasionally help students with their projects.
To mentor and provide guidance for new members of staff.
To undertake training as and when required.

Where you'll work

SOAR VALLEY COLLEGE
GLENEAGLES AVENUE
LEICESTER
LE4 7GY

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

LOUGHBOROUGH COLLEGE

Your training course

Laboratory technician (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

Comply with health and safety policies and procedures including HASWA, COSHH, risk assessments, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), manual handling, emergency procedures.
Maintain excellent housekeeping, in accordance with organisation Standard Procedures
Order and control stocks of laboratory materials where required
Identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks applying the concepts of resource efficiency e.g energy, water and waste
Adhere to internal and external regulatory requirements e.g. GLP, GMP, GDP
Prepare for, and perform, laboratory experiments, tests or tasks following any specified methodologies to provide reliable, accurate data e.g. weighing, pipetting, filtering, spectroscopic techniques, chromatography techniques
Demonstrate technical competence in the use of specified instruments and equipment
Report faults and seek diagnostic advice to maintain equipment in good working order, including calibration where required
Complete documentation proficiently
Keep accurate records of laboratory work undertaken and results
Contribute to the preparation of reports.
Use simple statistical techniques for data presentation and evaluation e. g calculation of median and standard deviation, production of graphs
Demonstrate problem solving techniques including identification of sources of error and how they can be reduced e.g. human error
Use standard software packages and applications e.g. Microsoft Office suite
Use Laboratory Information Management systems to support their work
Address non-routine problems with samples and instrumentation, within defined areas
Identify relevant information from scientific sources e.g. supervisors, literature etc. in order to contribute to solutions
Participate in continuous performance improvement of systems and processes relevant to the work environment e.g. workplace organisation techniques, accreditation (e.g. ISO, UKAS) and proficiency testing.
Evaluate data, recognise and call attention to anomalous or unusual results
Comply with health and safety policies and procedures including HASWA, COSHH, risk assessments, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), manual handling, emergency procedures.
Maintain excellent housekeeping, in accordance with organisation Standard Procedures
Order and control stocks of laboratory materials where required
Identify, organise and use resources effectively to complete tasks applying the concepts of resource efficiency e.g energy, water and waste
Adhere to internal and external regulatory requirements e.g. GLP, GMP, GDP
Prepare for, and perform, laboratory experiments, tests or tasks following any specified methodologies to provide reliable, accurate data e.g. weighing, pipetting, filtering, spectroscopic techniques, chromatography techniques
Demonstrate technical competence in the use of specified instruments and equipment
Report faults and seek diagnostic advice to maintain equipment in good working order, including calibration where required
Complete documentation proficiently
Keep accurate records of laboratory work undertaken and results
Contribute to the preparation of reports.
Use simple statistical techniques for data presentation and evaluation e. g calculation of median and standard deviation, production of graphs
Demonstrate problem solving techniques including identification of sources of error and how they can be reduced e.g. human error
Use standard software packages and applications e.g. Microsoft Office suite
Use Laboratory Information Management systems to support their work
Address non-routine problems with samples and instrumentation, within defined areas
Identify relevant information from scientific sources e.g. supervisors, literature etc. in order to contribute to solutions
Participate in continuous performance improvement of systems and processes relevant to the work environment e.g. workplace organisation techniques, accreditation (e.g. ISO, UKAS) and proficiency testing.
Evaluate data, recognise and call attention to anomalous or unusual results

Your training plan

The accredited training will be delivered by Loughborough College.
Protected study time will be given and full support from your colleagues. You will also have one-to-one learning sessions with your tutor.
You will be assigned a mentor and a learning buddy to help you to succeed, as it is really important to us.
On successful completion of your studies, you will achieve the level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade 4-9 (A*-C))
Maths (grade 4-9 (A*-C))
Science (grade 5-9 (A*-B))

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Administrative skills
Number skills
Logical
Team working
Creative
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience
Highly accurate
Good time management abilities
Good sense of humour

Other requirements

Soar Valley College is committed to safeguarding & promoting the welfare of children. The successful candidate will be subject to Disclosure and Baring service (DBS) checks/ other relevant employment checks. If shortlisted, you will receive a call from us. If you don't hear from us and would like feedback please email sarah.cripps@saladskills.co.uk.

About this company

Our school motto of ‘Aspire, Enjoy, Achieve’ is more than just words. It really does sum up Soar Valley’s ethos; that of working with every individual to ensure they do the best they possibly can in a supportive environment rich with opportunities. More on this can be read in our prospectus, which is available on the school website www.soarvalley.aspirelp.uk We are an Outstanding 11-16 community, comprehensive school in the city of Leicester with approximately 1560 students on roll currently, and are heavily over-subscribed every year with more first choice applications than places available. Ofsted judged the school to be Outstanding in all areas in the recent inspection in March 2025. Students come from very diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, which contributes to our unique ethos. We have a fantastic team of staff who go to great lengths to ensure every child can and does succeed in education. As a school, we value effort above all else with students; all can achieve, and they do! The staff work very effectively together and achieve excellent outcomes for our students, of which we are very proud. Even more pleasing though, are the superb relationships we have in the school, between all, which make it a great place to work, and an excellent place to begin or continue your career. Our science department is high-achieving, with the whole team, teaching and support staff, working very effectively together. Science occupies the whole of the second floor of the building, and resources are outstanding, with two large prep rooms and plenty of storage space. The department has lapsafes which can be wheeled into any of the ten labs for computer-based work. Practicals are built into schemes of learning and are a key part of the learning process.

http://www.soarvalley.leicester.sch.uk (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

The in-school team is excellent, and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to learn from some superb technicians on site.

Previous apprentices have gained employment in the school and are still with us today!

This position offers individuals the:

Guarantee of working in a fast-paced and exciting environment.
Chance to develop skills and knowledge in a growing organisation.
Opportunity to take on more challenging responsibilities.
Potential for career development.
Support for additional technical qualifications.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

Soar Valley College

Sarah Cripps

sarah.cripps@saladskills.co.uk

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000324129.

Apply now

Closes in 15 days (Saturday 21 June 2025 at 11:59pm)

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