Laboratory Technician Apprentice

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

Barber House 387 Glossop Road Sheffield (S10 2HQ)

Closes in 12 days (Wednesday 6 August 2025)

Posted on 23 July 2025

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Summary

The School of Medicine & Population Health seeks to appoint an enthusiastic and ambitious Apprentice Technician who will work within the core technical team to deliver technical and housekeeping support for research and teaching activities across the school.

Wage

£14,722.50 to £23,809.50, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Laboratory technician (level 3)
Hours
Working week to be discussed at interview.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

2 years

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

Under the direction of a technical supervisor, you will assist in the following:

  • Preparation of materials and equipment for use by staff and students.
  • Support practical teaching sessions, including assisting in the operation and demonstration of equipment and techniques.
  • Routine maintenance of equipment in line with the manufacturer's specifications and the installation of equipment.
  • Maintenance and housekeeping of laboratory areas, to provide a clean and safe working environment.
  • Support with ordering of consumables and laboratory stock maintenance.
  • Assist with glass washing and sterilisation duties.
  • Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of health and safety procedures and issues relating to the areas they work in.
  • Adhere to safe working practices in line with relevant local and legal requirements.
  • Commit to the training programme to develop the skills in a range of scientific techniques and the correct operation of basic laboratory equipment to successfully assist others in the support of research and teaching.
  • Keep an up-to-date record of learning and progress from hands-on practical experience.
  • Work flexibly to support all areas of teaching and research activity.
  • As a member of our Professional staff, you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to the professional behaviours set out in the Sheffield Professional Framework. 
  • As a member of staff, you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University's sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
  • Carry out other duties commensurate with the remit of the post.

Where you'll work

School of Medicine and Population Health
Barber House 387 Glossop Road Sheffield
S10 2HQ

Training

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

Training provider

BARNSLEY COLLEGE

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

Training schedule

Undertake 6 hours of off-the-job training with Barnsley College.
Successfully complete the end-point assessment and activities to contribute to achieving the Apprenticeship Standard - Laboratory Technician Level 3.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)
  • Science (grade 4)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Patience

Other requirements

A basic DBS check will be needed for this role.

About this employer

A world-class university – a unique student experience. Sheffield is a research university in the Russell Group with a global reputation for excellence.

https://sheffield.ac.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more. Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles. Generous pension scheme. And more.

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Possible progression opportunities. 

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

BARNSLEY COLLEGE

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000333265.

Apply now

Closes in 12 days (Wednesday 6 August 2025)

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