Research Associate Degree Apprenticeship - Accord Healthcare Ltd
Kickstart your career in science and technology with this fantastic Degree Level Apprenticeship opportunity
Qualification Requirements
- 5 GCSEs at grades C/4 or above (or equivalent) including Mathematics and English, plus;
- Will have A-Levels equalling 80 UCAS points, including Biology at grade C or above plus an additional Science or Mathematics, OR
- Equivalent Level 3 qualifications (e.g., BTEC) will also be considered (with a minimum requirement of 80 UCAS points), OR
- a Level 3 Laboratory Technical Apprenticeship in a relevant science discipline
Salary - £17,000 per annum
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.
- Holiday Allowance - 25 Days Holiday Allowance, plus Bank Holidays
- Pension - Employee 5%, Employer 3%
- Paid sick leave
- Eyecare
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Onsite parking
Location - Harrow, Middlesex
Working Hours
37.5 hours per week: 9.00am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday, with 1-hour unpaid daily lunch break
Duration - 60 months
Start Date - ASAP October 2025
Interview Date - Week commencing 30th September
Closing Date for Applications - 19th September
To Apply
To apply, please click the Apply Now button and complete the form. If you are having difficulty in completing this, please contact recruitment on recruitment@cogentskills.com for assistance
Job Description
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-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 utilizes 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
Candidate Requirements
Skills / Personal qualities
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Energetic individual who has a high level of personal pride in their work
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Excellent organisational and administration skills – uses time efficiently and effectively, ability to work accurately to required deadlines
- Good working knowledge of MS Office packages and be able to apply in a lab environment
- Have the capability to produce reliable, accurate data for all work carried out in the lab
- Be able to analyse and evaluate results / data obtained from work carried out
- Adopts a logical approach to problem solving
- Perseveres to find ways through challenges or barriers
- Strong desire to learn, with a positive attitude and resilient to change
- Aptitude and passion for science
Training To Be Delivered
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.
Future Prospects
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 the 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.
Things To Be Considered
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 Accord Healthcare Ltd
Accord Healthcare is a global pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and distributes generic, biosimilar and added-value medicines in over 85 countries worldwide, helping to improve access for patients to essential pharmaceutical care at the point of need.
Accord's portfolio spans across critical therapeutic fields such as oncology, cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, diabetes, pain management and gastroenterology
As one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical companies in the world, we're always looking for the best and brightest technical minds and forward-thinking business professionals to join our dynamic departments and make a difference.
Our employees foster our enduring reputation for quality and integrity, supporting our primary goal of helping to ensure patients receive the medicines they need, when they need them, with patient well-being at the centre of everything we do.
We believe in creating a culture that ‘achieves’. To support this, we are looking to build an inclusive company that attracts and retains key talent by investing in training and development, tailored to an individual’s needs.
At Accord, it is recognised that developing the skills and capabilities of employees is essential to achieving organisation goals and every employee receives individual professional development support.
Do you want to join a company that approaches business differently; a company that never settles for the established way of doing things?
- Department
- Biology
- Locations
- London - North West
- Yearly salary
- £17,000
- Company
- Accord Healthcare Ltd
- Industry Sector
- Life Sciences
- Role Level
- Level 6 Apprenticeship
- Full Address
- 319 Pinner Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 4HF
Accord, Harrow
Not sure where this career can take you?
Take a look at our dedicated Careers hub to see what this career could look like for you in the future!
Diversity and Inclusion
Cogent Skills group (Cogent) is working hard to ensure a clear strategy towards proactively supporting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives that seeks to improve diversity and create opportunities for all. GDPR will be complied with when collecting and using this data and the data that you provide will be used for monitoring and analysis only.