Ishraga started her Laboratory Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship in February 2020.
She currently works in the point of care testing team and has recently been successful in securing a Band 4 role in the department.
Ishraga says that she chose to do an apprenticeship because she is a kinaesthetic learner and wanted to gain the skills she needed for her career.
A typical day in her role involves having a huddle with her colleagues to communicate all of the updates in her team, then going into whichever lab she has been allocated to for that day. This is then followed by various tasks such as sanitising surfaces, maintaining equipment, stock checking and receiving and running patient samples. She is usually on her feet for most of the day and has multiple tasks to complete but she finds this engaging and very enjoyable.
When asked what she particularly enjoys about her role she said that she likes being able to work both in a team and independently, having a number of varying tasks to carry out and the fact that she is learning every day.
As part of her apprenticeship, Ishraga has 20% of her working week as ‘off the job learning.’ This means that she gets to shadow some of her colleagues at work so that she can learn various processes. She also has to read learning resources as set by the college, have lessons with her tutor and classmates (remotely and at the college), plan her assignments and write them up as well as carry out research to enable her to do this.
Although Ishraga has secured a banded role in the department, in the future she would like to continue working with her team and hopes to take on the higher Degree Level 6 apprenticeship.
What advice would you give to others who may be looking to take on an apprenticeship?
Believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to go into a professional environment without experience as it is a learning process and you will be supported every step of the way.