Scientist Apprenticeship - UCB
Cogent Ssc Limited
Slough (SL1 3WE)
Closes in 9 days (Friday 7 August 2026)
Posted on 28 July 2026
Contents
Summary
UCB are seeking a candidate to join the Musculoskeletal Team as an Apprentice within the Resolution of Inflammation Focus Area. As an Apprentice, you will have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learn from a variety of experienced professionals within a cutting-edge pharmaceutical research environment
- Wage
-
£21,000 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Annual salary review. Apprenticeship programme has a salary structure with annual increases subject to progress on the apprenticeship and performance in the workplace.
- Training course
- Scientist (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm with 1 hour lunch break.
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 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
The Resolution of Inflammation Focus Area is a dynamic and multicultural team including experienced scientists ranging from cell to tissue biologists including in vitro and in vivo pharmacologists. Within this Focus Area, the Musculoskeletal Team supports the biology of the early stage drug discovery process of targets relevant to skeletal disorders.
As an Apprentice, you will balance work-based learning with academic studies, applying theoretical knowledge to practical research challenges. Starting with building an understanding of the scientific method you will implement your new skills to contribute to the drug discovery process. You will create solid foundation in the anatomy of the skeletal tissues and the pathobiology of skeletal conditions while supporting research activities aimed at understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human diseases.
- In the lab you will learn key techniques utilised in early drug discovery including cell and tissue culture of primary cells, molecular biology, flow cytometry, histology and imaging. In addition to classic single cell 2D cultures, you will become familiar with complex in vitro models such as 3D cultures, organoids and organ on a chip, which are increasingly being used within the drug discovery process as they better mimic human physiology, improve translational relevance and enable disease modelling. You will have the opportunity to contribute to the generation of large data sets and to learn bioinformatics tools enabling analysis and visualisation of such data sets. Part of the role will require troubleshooting and optimisation of specific techniques as well as critical thinking. As part of your role, you will maintain accurate and detailed laboratory records in compliance with company standards. A dedicated supervisor and mentor will guide and support you during your time at UCB, making sure you receive all the trainings required for you to work in the lab, analyse and interpret scientific data, prepare and deliver scientific presentations.
- As well as working with colleagues within the Resolution of Inflammation Focus Area, the role will also allow interaction with colleagues from other departments allowing a complete understanding of the industry working mode.
- By developing your technical and soft skills you will have the opportunity to contribute to advance our early stage drug discovery efforts.
- Curiosity and eagerness to learn
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Integrity and ethics
- Verbal and written communication skills
Where you'll work
216 Bath Road
Slough
SL1 3WE
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
Training for this apprenticeship will be completed online
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
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
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Creative
- 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
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will be eligible to apply for other positions within the business. The training will expose the apprentice to a wide range of skills and competencies which would make them well placed for further study or suitable for many job opportunities in the life sciences sector.
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 VAC2000045067.
Apply now
Closes in 9 days (Friday 7 August 2026)
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.