Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship, Barnard Castle, UK, 2024 Job in Barnard Castle Recruiting by Workday

Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship, Barnard Castle, UK, 2024 

This role is based in Barnard Castle, County Durham where we supply medicines to our patients all around the globe. We operate at an impressive scale, producing over 85 million packs of medicine in 2022. Some of our medicines include: 

• HIV Prevention and Cure 

• Migraine Treatment 

• Cold Sore Treatment 

• Hay Fever Treatment 
   

You will be part of 1000 strong inclusive and diverse team working on the site. As a prospective pharmaceutical manufacturing technician you will learn about how we create quality products in our manufacturing suites, filling, inspecting and packing them in aseptic facilities using state-of-the-art machinery.   

Education required (England) 

• 5 GCSE or equivalent with a grade 5 in Maths   

• Must be able to commute to either the GSK Barnard Castle site or South Durham training  

Join GSK’s Manufacturing Technician Apprentice Programme – UK, 2023: Help us get ahead of disease together and earn while you learn  

• Starting salary of £16,000 increasing to £22,400 / year after 1 year + annual bonus based on company performance 

• Kickstart a long-term and rewarding career with nationally recognized Manufacturing qualifications. Lots of our current manufacturing First Line Leaders and operations Managers started their careers as Manufacturing Technician Apprentices so this is a great starting point! 

• All costs of your apprenticeship covered by GSK 

Expected Start date: September 2024 
 

What will you be doing day-day?   

• Work as a flexible and motivated member of the team. 

• Engage with fully trained operators to learn the processes around Manufacture, Filling, Inspection and how we make our innovative medicines. 

• Complete Continuous Improvement, safety & quality actions.   

• Work various shift patterns to ensure the operational needs of the business are met and learning opportunities are maximised. 

• Complete an academic programme on day release. 

Here’s how some of our current Manufacturing Tech Apprentices describe their roles: 
 

Jamie-Leigh Wood, Manufacturing Apprentice Barnard Castle 

“In my role I have gained a variety of experience from across the business. I have had the opportunity to see and be involved in the process from products being introduced to site and trialled to being packed and shipped from site. It has been a challenging program that has allowed me to develop both personally and professionally.  

Robbie Walker, Barnard Castle, Manufacturing Apprentice: 

As a manufacturing apprentice there is a wide range of roles we take on in the production area, including packaging, inspection, filling, manufacturing and more. As a manufacturing apprentice we develop the skills and knowledge required to operate the systems and equipment that produce our pharmaceutical products. As manufacturing apprentices, we learn how to operate equipment in the manufacture and packaging of our pharmaceutical products, as well as learning about the functions that support the manufacturing side, such as engineering and scheduling. Manufacturing apprenticeship roles are hugely important as they put the apprentice hands on in areas that are critical for getting life-saving medicine to our patients, giving us a big responsibility in a vital environment. 

You will be working at GSKs Barnard Castle manufacturing facility where you’ll be learning how to maintain and improve our pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment and facilities, helping to ensure we can make the medicines and vaccines that we supply to patients. 
 

This is a 3 year practical, hands-on apprenticeship where you’ll be working towards a level 3 Manufacturing Technician qualification with a local provider. 
 

 For more information see:

 
 

Your studies are fully funded by GSK, and through your day-day work you’ll have lots of opportunities to apply your theoretical knowledge in a real-world manufacturing environment.   

Other perks include: 

• Eligibility for NUS Extra card providing you with discounts to many high street and online outlets.  

• Access to NxtGen – a social group where you can connect with other GSK apprentices nationally & internationally 

• Access to healthcare and well-being programmes 

• Employee recognition programs, which reward exceptional achievements 

• A buddy &/or mentor who will help you to prepare for joining GSK and who will be there to offer support and guidance throughout your apprenticeship.   

Apply now  

Please note we will update you regarding your application by the end of February 2024, if you have any questions please contact:  

Assessment centres for shortlisted candidates will be held between February and April 2024. 

Need help with your application? 

Please email us at  and let us know how we can help you.  

You don’t need to have any previous work experience to be successful.  We’re looking for candidates who are motivated to learn and who are excited to develop practical, hands-on manufacturing and problem solving skills.   

Top tips for your application  

Once you’ve completed our short online application form, you will be invited to an online video interview.  During this, we will ask you to tell us why you think our programme is a good fit for you and how your skills and interests will help you to succeed at GSK.  

To help you prepare, we wanted to share some top tips to bear in mind while you’re answering the interview questions! Our Apprentices need: 

• An interest in, and motivation for becoming a multi-skilled Manufacturing Technician – you don’t need to have had any prior work experience, but you’ll need to tell us why you think this practical apprenticeship is for you.  You may have interests, hobbies or experience that show you have a practical side - perhaps specific practical projects or subjects at school or college that you enjoyed; clubs that you’ve been part of; work experience or extracurricular activities with friends or family or volunteering, charity or community work that you want to tell us about.  Your reasons will be personal to you, and we look forward to hearing about these during the application process. 

• Communication skills – you’ll meet and work with lots of different people across the site so you’ll need to be able to listen to others as well as be open and honest and respectful in your communication.  You can expect the same respect from others.   

• An ability to work within a team – you will have lots of your own tasks &/or projects to work on through the apprenticeship.  You’ll also need to be able work well with other people & consider the impact of your work and actions on other people too. 

• Ability to follow instructions / Personal responsibility - it is critical that you can follow work instructions and health & safety guidelines at all times - to keep you and your colleagues safe whilst ensuring the highest quality of the products that reach our patients.  Don’t worry, you’ll get training on all of these when you start 

• A focus on quality (right first time) and problem solving – we’ll teach you how to safely work with manufacturing machinery and documentation tools.  As you develop in your role you’ll need to take a logical approach to problem solving whilst seeking opportunities to improve quality, speed and/or efficiency.   

• Ability to balance your work and study time – you’ll have the best of both worlds – a great start to your working career in a great industry and gain a nationally recognized Manufacturing Technician qualification.  You’ll need to be able to manage your time and workload, and to stay motivated and committed when facing challenges.  Rest assured, you’ll get lots of support from your manager and your teams as well as your college tutors through your Apprenticeship. 

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