Department: Science Apprenticeship - Materials L3 Location: Rochester, Kent Compensation: £7.55 / hour Description Location: City Way, Rochester, ME1 2FA Working for St John Fisher Catholic School St. John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School has a proud history of educating our local Medway community. Established in 1964, we are the only Catholic secondary school in the local authority. One of seven secondary modern schools in the area, we are a diverse community, proud to educate Catholic students as well as those of other faiths and none. Our students often refer to us as their second family, and it is a great place to work. Our community of staff is incredibly supportive of each other, and our personalised CPD programme means that everyone's career development is supported in a way that is specific to them. We are passionate about work-life balance, finishing lessons early on a Wednesday afternoon so that CPD and meetings can largely take place during normal school hours, and we provide counselling services free of charge to those who need them. The school is looking to appoint a Laboratory Technician Apprentice to join the excellent Science faculty to continue the positive trends of results for pupils. Two real strengths of the team are the sense of openness and willingness to assist one other. Resources are shared between staff, as well as tips and tricks on pedagogy and experiments/ demonstrations to promote good understanding. You'll be able to find out more about St John Fisher Catholic School here: Website Facebook X (Twitter) We are now seeking an enthusiastic individual to join the team as a Level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprentice The Package Starting salary: £7.55 per hour Working hours: 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday (8am - 3.30pm) - term time only Strong public transport links & on-site parking available Regular training and CPD opportunities What will I be doing a Laboratory Technician Apprentice? Working with the Senior Science Technician, your role will be to co-ordinate the use of practical resources and facilities and help and advice in meeting the practical needs of the science curriculum, including liaising with teaching staff and support staff outside the department. You'll support with the design, development and maintenance of specialist resources and/or long-term project and offer professional guidance, assistance, and support to pupils and teachers on the practical aspects of the curriculum. Supporting the technical team within the science department, including assisting in practical classes, carrying out demonstrations (if required), preparing resources, assembling apparatus. Designing, constructing, and modifying apparatus. Carrying out risk assessments for technician activities. Setting up and caring for plant and animal collections. Preparing standard solutions etc, purifying chemicals, treating waste. Supporting the developing new procedures, processes, and resources to support curriculum and legislative changes. Keeping up to date with any changes from CLEAPSS and supporting the planning for their implementation. Maintaining resources, ordering new stock, and keeping accurate stock records. Ensuring the department's resources and maintained to the required standards. Giving technical advice to teachers, technicians and pupils/students. Staff Development: To participate in induction training, staff review processes and professional development opportunities. To assess development and training needs and discuss with line manager. To set your own targets before any development activity and review and evaluate the activity after completion, cascading information to the appropriate team when relevant. To keep personal records of all staff development activities in which you are/have been involved. To carry out as requested from time to time any other relevant duties as may be reasonably required by the Headteacher. What could the future look like? There's no limit to what you can achieve while working with St John Fisher School. Their team is at the heart of what they do, and they are looking for someone who wants to play a key part in that long term. As a successful applicant, you have the potential to secure a full-time position with the business at the end of your apprenticeship. Through practical 'on-the-job' training you'll have the opportunity to learn new skills to provide competency and responsibility in carrying out testing and to help develop your career. With this qualification, you can look forward to a range of potential career paths in scientific fields like education, construction, engineering or research and development. There is a growing demand for skilled professionals who hold this crucial laboratory experience, used in various sectors This apprenticeship program serves as a stepping stone towards a rewarding career in testing, with the added opportunity to become a registered Technician (RSci Tech). This enables you to take on more specialised roles or progress into leadership positions. This apprenticeship can also help pave the way for further educational and professional advancement. You may choose to pursue higher-level qualifications through one of our Degree Apprenticeships such as Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Applied Bioscience or Applied Chemical Science. Rest assured, your hard work and determination will be recognised What will you bring? Qualifications It's about enthusiasm, not school results. In our experience, the most successful apprentices are those who have drive to find out more about the sector, can be up-front about what they do and don't already know, are considerate, self-reflective and impatient to learn the job role Experience Whilst previous experience is great, we're not just interested in experience and qualifications; we're looking for someone with the right attitude and aptitude to fit right in at St John Fisher Catholic School. About you We're looking for an apprentice who is committed to ensuring that every child at the school has access to the best possible education, by establishing positive relationships with ALL pupils. This is a perfect opportunity for individuals who are organised and enjoy taking a methodical approach to their work, identifying priorities, and managing your own workload within agreed timeframes is an important skill for this role. Being a team player and working as part of an effective team is important. You'll be speaking to colleagues across the department to provide advice and working with young people from all backgrounds, so you'll need to be confident with your communication, both spoken and written. Be prepared for a challenge as you take on activities to ensure the needs of the school are met, whilst standards are upheld to ensure the safety of your pupils, teachers, and colleagues. To succeed in this apprenticeship, you'll need bags of enthusiasm, be a fantastic collaborator and be hungry to learn To succeed in this apprenticeship, you'll need bags of enthusiasm, be a fantastic collaborator and be hungry to learn Please note, because of the nature of this position, you must live within a 45 minute commute to site, and will be required to undertake a DBS check prior to starting at St John Fisher Catholic School. Even if this doesn't sound quite like you, but you still think you could do a great job in the role, get in touch. We're always open to hearing from you So how does the apprenticeship work? At Tiro we're obsessed with changing lives through science and technology apprenticeships so we can't wait to have you on board. Over 21 months, you'll devote a minimum of 6 hours of your working week on 'off the job' training. This can include theory training (for example, virtual lessons & online learning), alongside practical training (for example shadowing, mentoring, & time spent writing assignments. Together this will count towards a Level 3 Laboratory Technician apprenticeship. You'll be trained by an expert tutor from Tiro as well as an experienced mentor at St John Fisher School who together, will make sure you develop the knowledge, skills, and work habits you'll need to succeed in your career. Being an apprentice is hands-on, so you'll get the chance to learn things you might otherwise not have experienced in a university or college environment. The best part? You'll be earning a salary while you gain your qualifications, meaning no huge student loans to pay back at the end of the programme Want to know more. Check out the apprenticeship standards here. Eligibility While we never want to hinder your job application process with obstacles, there are some minimum requirements you'll need to meet in order to do an apprenticeship, these are rules set by the UK Government. You'll need to be over 16, not in full time education, have lived in the UK for 3 years and have the right to work in the UK. If you don't quite meet these minimum requirements yet, let us know you're interested here and we'll get in touch to discuss this further with you.