Chemistry laboratory scientist degree apprenticeship - Immunocore
Cogent Ssc Limited
Abingdon (OX14 4RY)
Closes in 27 days (Thursday 26 March 2026)
Posted on 26 February 2026
Contents
Summary
Immunocore are looking to recruit a laboratory scientist apprentice. You will help to perform fundamental laboratory tasks to contributing to advanced experimental studies that directly support the research and development of biotherapeutic medicines.
- Wage
-
£22,000 a year
- Training course
- Scientist (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Thursday, 09:00 - 17:00, with a 45 minute unpaid lunch break.
Friday, 09:00 - 16:15, with a 45 minute unpaid lunch break.
35 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 17 August 2026
- Duration
-
5 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
Job Responsibilities:
Learning Through Practical Application
A core feature of this role is the direct application of academic learning within the workplace. Concepts introduced during the degree programme — including chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical science — will be reinforced through day-to-day laboratory activities.
The apprentice will:
- Apply theoretical knowledge to practical laboratory experiments.
- Develop a strong understanding of how scientific data is generated, analysed, and used to inform decisions.
- Gain experience working within a highly regulated environment where safety, quality, and ethics are paramount.
- Learn how industrial laboratories operate, from experimental planning through to documentation and reporting.
Key Responsibilities:
- Perform laboratory experiments safely, accurately, and in compliance with company procedures.
- Apply scientific principles learned at university to real-world experimental work.
- Maintain high standards of documentation, traceability, and data integrity.
- Analyse, interpret, and present scientific data in written and verbal formats.
- Work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Proactively identify problems and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
- Adhere to all safety, environmental, quality, and ethical standards
- Develop an understanding of the business, regulatory, and quality context of pharmaceutical development.
By the end of the apprenticeship, the Laboratory Scientist Apprentice will be able to:
- Apply scientific theory to laboratory experimentation and implement new processes based on literature or expert input.
- Explain and demonstrate laboratory techniques to support technical and scientific projects.
- Apply advanced scientific knowledge relevant to formulation development and biotechnology.
- Work within project management frameworks and contribute effectively to team-based projects.
- Understand and comply with regulatory, quality, and ethical requirements.
- Analyse, interpret, and present scientific data clearly and confidently
- Promote quality standards and continuous improvement.
- Communicate effectively with both scientific and non-scientific audiences.
- Manage time, prioritise tasks, and adapt to change.
- Take ownership of personal development and demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning.
Where you'll work
91 Park Drive
Milton Park, Milton
Abingdon
OX14 4RY
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
Online.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English Language (grade 4/C or above)
- Maths (grade 5/C or above)
A Level in:
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
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
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)
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
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will be eligible to apply for other positions within the business.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
Cogent Ssc Limited
Tom Bretherton
thomas.bretherton@cogentskills.com
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000018044.
Apply now
Closes in 27 days (Thursday 26 March 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.