Research Associate Degree Apprenticeship - Accord Healthcare Ltd

Cogent Ssc Limited

Barking (IG11 0ND)

Closes in 12 days (Friday 19 September 2025)

Posted on 5 September 2025

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Summary

Kickstart your science career with a Degree Apprenticeship! Gain hands-on lab experience in biological product development, run diverse experiments, and learn cutting-edge methods in a fast-paced biopharma setting while growing under expert technical supervision and obtain a BSc in Applied BioScience.

• Wage:

  £17,000 a year

  Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Salary will rise in line with national minimum wage rates. Apprentices could be eligible for further annual wage increments, subject to company budgets and satisfactory completion of goals.

• Training course: Scientist (level 6)
• Hours: 37.5 hours per week: 9.00am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday, with 1-hour unpaid daily lunch break.

  37 hours 30 minutes a week

• Start date:

  Monday 13 October 2025

• Duration:

  5 years

• Positions available:

  3

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

Cogent Skills is working with Accord Healthcare Ltd to recruit three Degree Level Research Associate Apprentices for its Accord Biopharma London (ABL) lab in Harrow. The successful candidates will be employed by Cogent Skills Services but will undertake all on-the-job learning with Accord Healthcare.

This is your chance to join a world-leading biopharma company as a Degree Level Apprentice, working hands-on with therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies that are transforming patient lives.

The ABL lab is built as a centre of excellence for Research and Development activities, aiming for biosimilar process development and novel biologics development for both human and veterinary use. Various functions in ABL include Upstream Process Development (UPD), Downstream Process Development (DSP), Analytical Development Lab (ADL), Bioanalytical Development Lab (BDL) and Drug Product Development (DPD or Formulation).

From day one, you’ll be based in a state-of-the-art laboratory, learning directly from experienced scientists and contributing to real-world drug development projects. You’ll gain a broad foundation in biopharma science while specialising in one of three exciting pathways:

Bioanalytical Development

If you’re curious about how medicines work, this route is for you. You’ll learn to design and run bioassays, immunoassays, and potency tests to characterise therapeutic proteins and antibodies. Your work will help prove that new medicines are safe, stable, and effective, providing critical data that shapes the future of drug development.

Upstream Process Development

If you’re fascinated by how medicines are made, this pathway will put you at the heart of biopharmaceutical production. You’ll grow and optimise cell cultures, operate bioreactors, and test process conditions to maximise yield and quality. Your work will ensure that life-changing medicines can be manufactured reliably and at scale.

Downstream Process Development

If you’re fascinated by how medicines are made, this path will provide you opportunity to learn and execute the protein/antibody purification. Downstream processing refers to the purification and separation of the target product following the upstream process. This phase utilises advanced high-throughput capabilities that allow for the development of multiple stages of chromatography and non-chromatography unit operations. These processes employ cutting-edge techniques for protein separation and purification.

There are three roles available: one in Bioanalytical Development (BDL), one in Upstream Process Development (UPD) and one in Downstream Process Development (DSP).

Key responsibilities:

• Conduct process development activities like cell culture process, downstream or analytical function related
• Prepare and document media, feeds, buffers, and supplements accurately and in a timely manner.
• Monitor experiment performance by regularly recording parameters responding to deviations or unexpected trends.
• Set up, operate, clean, and maintain equipment & analytical tools
• Adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs), good documentation practices (GDP), and good laboratory practices (GLP).
• Follow and promote all EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) procedures and safety guidelines in the lab.
• Ensure proper handling and storage of chemicals, biological materials, and lab waste and support in preparing risk assessments and COSHH.
• Take personal ownership of assigned tasks and ensure timely, high-quality execution with minimal supervision.
• Work collaboratively with peers across functions to support overall project timelines.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the lab, including equipment maintenance, process improvements

Where you'll work

Unit 6
Riverside Industrial Estate, Thames Road
Barking
IG11 0ND

Training

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

Training provider

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT

Training course

Scientist (level 6)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Identify and apply scientific approaches to solve problems, support investigations and recommend any follow-up experiments.
• Evaluate scientific experiments using an appropriate level of qualitative and quantitative numerical analysis.
• Critically analyse data, relevant literature and input from colleagues to inform investigations.
• Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results in written and oral form.
• Manage record keeping to ensure data integrity, traceability, confidentiality and adherence with appropriate regulatory requirements.
• Promote, enact, document, and monitor the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the role.
• Identify opportunities to challenge assumptions and apply influencing skills to make improvements, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
• Manage work plan, prioritise tasks and evaluate progress against objectives.
• Contribute to the development of technical projects across multi-skilled teams and share best practice across the wider business.
• Conduct complex (chemical, or physical, or biological) scientific investigations in accordance with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
• Identify and implement continuous performance improvement using appropriate techniques.
• Ensure work meets environmental, risk management and sustainability requirements and regulations of the business sector.
• Evaluate own performance and knowledge, and set personal development goals.
• Troubleshoot equipment selection and implement sustainable solutions.
• Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and provide technical support and advice where required.
• Identify how other roles in the organisation can contribute to achieving sustainability goals.
• Select and apply equipment, techniques, and methods to ensure reliable and accurate results.
• Undertake practical analyses and measurement and communicate the outcomes using appropriate terminology and mathematical and graphical notation.
• Use appropriate digital solutions for the collection and analysis of data, and the retrieval of appropriate information.
• Use communication methods suited to objective and audience.
• Use theoretical models, often involving approximations, to make quantitative predictions.
• Apply chemical concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out chemical science investigations.
• Recommend synthetic pathways to target-compounds and design experimental activities to test predictions.
• Design and deploy purification, isolation and characterisation strategies, taking account of physicochemical properties of elements and compounds.
• Design, develop and carry out qualitative and quantitative sample preparation, chemical measurement, and analysis.
• Critically compare the results of theoretical or computational modelling with those from experiment and observation.
• Apply physics theories to solve problems that cross scientific discipline boundaries.
• Apply computational techniques to analysis and model physical behaviour.
• Apply physics concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out physics based investigations.
• Use mathematical techniques and theories to solve physics problems.
• Use computer programming software to solve physics based problems.
• Critically analyse current and emerging developments in the biosciences and the contribution of Biosciences to the wider industry.
• Apply Biological concepts and theories to investigations.
• Design, develop and carry out biological investigations
• Perform tasks related to sample preparation and culturing techniques.
• Use of laboratory automation systems.
• Perform sampling with consideration for sample variation.
• Identify and apply scientific approaches to solve problems, support investigations and recommend any follow-up experiments.
• Evaluate scientific experiments using an appropriate level of qualitative and quantitative numerical analysis.
• Critically analyse data, relevant literature and input from colleagues to inform investigations.
• Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific data and present the results in written and oral form.
• Manage record keeping to ensure data integrity, traceability, confidentiality and adherence with appropriate regulatory requirements.
• Promote, enact, document, and monitor the application of quality standards, safe working practices and compliance with risk management systems relevant to the role.
• Identify opportunities to challenge assumptions and apply influencing skills to make improvements, make new proposals and build on existing ideas.
• Manage work plan, prioritise tasks and evaluate progress against objectives.
• Contribute to the development of technical projects across multi-skilled teams and share best practice across the wider business.
• Conduct complex (chemical, or physical, or biological) scientific investigations in accordance with defined company procedures and legislative requirements.
• Identify and implement continuous performance improvement using appropriate techniques.
• Ensure work meets environmental, risk management and sustainability requirements and regulations of the business sector.
• Evaluate own performance and knowledge, and set personal development goals.
• Troubleshoot equipment selection and implement sustainable solutions.
• Identify and collaborate with key stakeholders and provide technical support and advice where required.
• Identify how other roles in the organisation can contribute to achieving sustainability goals.
• Select and apply equipment, techniques, and methods to ensure reliable and accurate results.
• Undertake practical analyses and measurement and communicate the outcomes using appropriate terminology and mathematical and graphical notation.
• Use appropriate digital solutions for the collection and analysis of data, and the retrieval of appropriate information.
• Use communication methods suited to objective and audience.
• Use theoretical models, often involving approximations, to make quantitative predictions.

Training schedule

Qualification to be delivered: BSc (Hons) in Applied Bioscience.

Apprenticeship Standard: Level 6 Laboratory Scientist.

Training Provider: University of Kent.

Delivery model: Blended learning through a mixture of online and face-to-face learning. Much of the programme is centred around work-based learning and projects, which means as an apprentice, you will be adding value to your organisation as you work through your Bachelor’s degree. There are also two residential summer schools in years 1 and 2 to complete the Basic and Advanced Laboratory/Industry Skills modules. These will take place at the university’s Canterbury campus.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

A Level in:

Biology (grade C or above)

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

Skills

• Communication skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical

Other requirements

Cogent Skills is managing the recruitment process in partnership with Accord Healthcare Ltd. To ensure fairness and equality of opportunity all applications must be made by completing the application on the Cogent Skills Apprenticeship portal. The successful candidate will be employed by Cogent Skills Services but will undertake all on-job learning with Accord Healthcare Ltd. at its ABL lab in Harrow. Please ensure that you currently live within, or can relocate to, a commutable distance of the site and that are able/willing to travel to Canterbury for the residential summer schools. Due to the part-time and independent nature of the study, you must be able to demonstrate a responsible and mature attitude to your study and work-based activities. Study time will form part of your working week.

About this employer

As the specialists in skills for science and technology, our purpose is to make sure your business; your people and our industry are future ready. We are a not-for-profit charitable organisation with a family of commercially focused companies committed to supporting the skills, needs and ambitions across the UK science and technology sector.

https://cogentskills.com/vacancies/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Holiday Allowance - 25 Days. Holiday Allowance, plus Bank Holidays. Pension - Employee 5%, Employer 3%. Paid sick leave. Eyecare. Employee Assistance Programme. On-site parking.

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

This role is part of our talent planning for the future and for the right people, we are looking to continue to develop the apprentices upon successful completion of the apprenticeship.

Our business is growing, so there may be an opportunity to gain permanent employment in the team, subject to performance, successful completion of the apprenticeship, and a role being available.

Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, individuals are eligible to apply for Registered Scientist (RSci) status through a shortened application route.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

Cogent Ssc Limited

Dylan Bailey

Dylan.bailey@cogentskills.com

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000340740.

Apply now

Closes in 12 days (Friday 19 September 2025)

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