Skills Bootcamp - Laboratory Skills for Laboratory Technicians

This funded 8-week Skills Bootcamp will upskill students in using standard laboratory equipment and techniques in order to prepare them for progressing into roles as either a Laboratory Technician, Assistant/Trainee Laboratory Technician, Science Technician or Laboratory Technician Apprentice. The topics and skills covered within the programme include: titration, colorimetry, calorimetry, chromatography, calibration procedures, data analysis, and laboratory safety.

During the Skills Bootcamp, students will also prepare for applying to and interviewing for job vacancies within the science sector. Students will be provided throughout the programme with sector-specific career advice and will be supported to secure either a job, promotion, or apprenticeship at the end of the programme.

This Skills Bootcamp has been co-designed with employers to align with industry standards and sector skills needs. For all students who successfully complete the Skills Bootcamp, there is a guaranteed job interview with an employer at the end of the programme. The course is funded for all students from a Cheshire and Warrington postcode (see below information on funding eligibility).

The skills and experience that students will gain through the Skills Bootcamp will be invaluable for beginning their career as a Laboratory Technician or for enabling those already in science-related employment to progress in their careers. Fundamental sector knowledge, practical skills, and transferable skills like organisation, self-assessment, and the ability to interpret data will all be developed through the Skills Bootcamp.

The programme will support students to build their confidence when undertaking the more complex practical techniques involved biochemistry, chemistry, forensic science, and environmental science laboratory work. Whilst on-programme, you will work directly with industry experts to develop your sector specific employability skills. You will be supported with CV writing and preparation for interview.

Employers in science-related industries have identified a need for the workforce to have:

• stronger practical laboratory skill
• the ability to follow written scientific procedures
• improved accuracy in using techniques correctly
• improved accuracy in checking equipment is calibrated correctly
• the ability to complete appropriate standard calibration documentation.

The Skills Bootcamp will ensure that students are developing these key sector-specific skills, as well as transferable employability skills, thus improving their career prospects.

Through a series of practical tasks, students will develop proficiency in the quantitative analytical techniques of titration and colorimetry, including learning to calculate the concentration of solutions. Students will use measurement of temperature to study cooling curves and be introduced to paper and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). They will also have the opportunity to calibrate equipment and will consider the safety aspects of given laboratory procedures and techniques. Students will have the opportunity to use problem-solving skills when undertaking calorimetry work.

The Skills Bootcamp is delivered over an 8-week period in which you will attend college one day per week and undergo additional online learning activities in your own time. Learning will be assessed through a variety of ways including observation of practical skills, written logs, and data exercises. Face-to-face class times are 9am to 4.30pm.

The skills developed through the Skills Bootcamp will help students to progress into Laboratory-based roles across a variety of science-based technical industries including: contract analysis, oil, biopharmaceuticals, water treatment, polymers, education, health and chemical engineering.

Upon successful completion, learners may progress into the following jobs:

• Laboratory Technician Apprentice
• Trainee Laboratory Technician
• Laboratory Technician
• Science Technician. 
  
  

The Skills Bootcamp has been co-designed and will be supported by employers from across the Health, Science & Manufacturing sector. The Life Sciences Academy is working with a range of employers from the pharmaceutical, healthcare, science manufacturing, environmental, chemical engineering and education sectors. This Skills Bootcamp is being supported by employers who are looking to upskill their own workforce as well as fill current job vacancies.

We have a team of staff dedicated to providing learning support if required, as well as a Welfare Team that is on hand to offer guidance, support and help when needed. Careers support is provided by sector specialists on-programme as well as by the college’s Careers Team post-study.

This course is delivered by our expert teachers and is designed in collaboration with industry and employers. It is delivered within our Life Sciences Academy at the Winsford campus, which is part of the Cheshire & Warrington Institute of Technology. The Life Sciences Academy includes two state-of-the-art bio-chemical and bio-medical laboratories equipped with industry standard equipment such as HPLC, and IR and UV. The wider campus also offers newly refurbished computer suites, private study pods, a simulated Hospital Ward, blended learning facilities and a specialist Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Academy. Over 90% of students who study on courses at Warrington & Vale Royal College progress positively into jobs, apprenticeships, further/higher education and self-employment.

The Skills Bootcamp is targeted at the following:

• Those who do not currently work in the Science sector but who have prior learning (to a minimum of level 3) or relevant industry experience in a science-related discipline, and who wish to secure a role as an Assistant/Trainee Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Technician Apprentice or Science Technician
• Those who are already working in a science-related sector and need to upskill their practical laboratory skills in order to progress in their careers
• Recent graduates who have studied on a science-related degree and who need to advance their practical skills within a laboratory in order to secure a laboratory-based job.

Specific information, advice, and guidance will be provided by our curriculum teams before enrolling on the programme.

Students must reside in a Cheshire or Warrington postcode area to access funding for this programme.

To access funding for this programme, students must reside in a Cheshire or Warrington postcode area.

Funding for the Skills Bootcamp is provided by Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington.

For self-referring students, the course is free (subject to residency status and postcode).

For employer-referred students, there is an employer contribution fee as follows:

• For small to medium businesses (SMEs) the fee per student is £370
• For large businesses the fee per student is £1110.

All costs are covered within the course fees.