Work Experience Placements 2025 - What's Been Going On for Our Students?
At Liverpool Life Sciences UTC & Studio School, work placements are a vital element of our Careers Programme and Pathways. These experiences provide students with meaningful exposure to professional environments, enabling them to develop essential workplace skills and gain insight into a diverse range of career options.
Through these placements, students not only enhance their practical knowledge but also build confidence, curiosity, and a clearer sense of direction for their future. We are proud to offer opportunities that support their growth both personally and professionally.
See below for the incredible placements our students have secured in 2025! We’re beyond inspired by their achievements and can’t wait to see what they accomplish next!
Tailored Placements
Over the course of the summer term, our students completed a diverse range of work experience placements that highlighted the wide variety of opportunities available across different industries. In Life Sciences, for example, students undertook a two-day placement at Pharmaron, one student attended a day at The Liverpool Scholars Programme, and and one student completing a week-long placement at Hale Road Dental Practice. These experiences demonstrate the school's commitment to offering tailored pathways for every student depending on their career aspirations.
Medical Cadets Placements
From March to July, a dedicated group of students participated in the Medical Cadets placement, gaining wide-ranging exposure to healthcare environments. They spent their Thursdays and Fridays immersed in various wards across Whiston Hospital, Aintree Hospital, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, and LVL Labs.
The Medical Cadets programme, in particular, is exclusive to us, made possible through our strong partnership with the NHS and links local hospitals. These are a more tailored and specific version of the NHS Cadets that offers young people aged 14-18 the chance to learn about healthcare careers, develop skills, and gain volunteering experience. For our school, these placements are all part of the opportunities available to students who are interested in careers in Life Science, Healthcare and MeDeVet.
Students rotated through plastic surgery, stroke wards, pathology, physiotherapy, and trained in managing opioid overdoses, anaphylaxis, and heart attacks. These experiences help students consider the patient's perspective, how they felt, and the doctors' impact on their journey. Key skills like communication, teamwork, empathy, adaptability, and responsibility were observed, alongside principles of medical ethics, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Reflection on these experiences at Whiston Hospital provides valuable insights for medical school applications and interviews.
AstraZeneca Placements
Our students had the unique opportunity to complete one-week placements at the international biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Divided into two groups, they spent their time at the Global Operations and Supply Biologics site in Liverpool.
Week 1
The first group of students gained an in-depth understanding of the pharmaceutical industry and lab environments.
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Matthew achieved his goal of gaining a strong understanding of how professional science labs operate.
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Yousef focused on developing a strong understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in drug development and clinical trials.
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Wiktoria improved her communication and teamwork skills by working alongside professionals and gained confidence in asking questions, and felt this experience was an excellent preparation for her future studies in medicine.
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Isaac sharpened his practical chemistry skills and broadened his knowledge of vaccines, learning how they are made and the factors that make them effective.
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Laila learned new lab-related skills and gained valuable experience with professional equipment. She found that the placement was a great starting point for building confidence in her lab and teamwork abilities.
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Malak was interested in seeing how pharmaceutical companies operate in the development and research of new vaccines and medications.
Week 2
The second group of students delved into the day-to-day realities of a career in a professional laboratory.
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Yunis was able to develop his understanding of the drugs used to benefit society, connecting the experience directly to his future career aspirations in the field.
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Arthur was able to observe high-level practicals being performed at professional standards and learned what it takes to work in a real lab environment.
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Finn gained confidence, and deepened his knowledge of microbiology.
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Zuso was able to experience the day-to-day tasks that would be required in a future career.
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Junaid gained a better understanding of how drugs are developed and the importance of collaboration between different teams. He felt this placement helped him acquire skills that he can now present on his CV for future opportunities.
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Andrew described his time at AstraZeneca as an "incredible experience". He felt the placement provided him with valuable knowledge and insights that will undoubtedly help him with his future decisions. Read his diary entry below.
READ A DIARY OF andrews WEEK AT ASTRA ZENECA
Monday started with a focus on understanding the company it definitely gave me the right information to help me understand what I was going to learn. The induction helped to introduce the company to us and what we’d need to do in case of an emergency. The site tour was quite fun, since we got to see just how many sections there are in the overall process of vaccine making, such as getting a brief look at engineering and manufacturing. We even were lucky enough to see the first stage of the manufacturing process, deboxing. The rest of the day felt a little boring in my opinion, since it was all in the classroom, but they kept it interesting by doing an activity based on process development.
Tuesday I now understand how AstraZeneca is currently in the vaccine manufacturing process. It was interesting to learn about the different sections that go into obtaining a live attenuated vaccine using fertilised eggs, and all the different processes to ensure the final product is as clean and safe as possible. Getting to put on gowns was quite fun, though I couldn’t imagine having to wear it every shift for hours on end. Finally, getting a go at using the battery powered pipettes was quite enjoyable, since I’ve never gotten to use equipment like that.
Wednesday For me, Wednesday was the highlight of my week due to the bespoke opportunity I got. I really enjoyed getting a tour of the BPD labs by myself, since it allowed Lauren (I’m not sure on the spelling of their name) to go over the assaying process in much more detail, as well as explaining the machines and how they help to automate the processes they do (Such as FFA and TCID50). I also got an overview of the process development, and how they mimic the manufacturing process to find ways to speed up the production time. These opportunities gave me time to ask questions and write stuff down. I also got another chance of using pipettes, though this time I got to use automated and multi-channel ones. I even got to use a large, stationary one with 96 pipette tips. When I returned to the group, we got more time with the BPD staff along with a fun game of jeopardy (My team won). I enjoyed the bespoke part of the day so much that I took the opportunity to stay for longer, getting a tour of the BPD labs as a whole.
Thursday It was fun getting to go back into the labs for another day, this time getting to see the virology labs. Although most of what we were shown was something that I had done yesterday, it was still a nice opportunity to go over and note down any information I might have missed. I surprisingly enjoyed the environmental and sustainability section of the day, since it was nice hearing how AstraZeneca is working to reduce their impact on the environment. Even though it was blisteringly sunny, it was still a great experience to walk around the site and see just how diverse the area was, and how they have set up areas to maintain that nature.
Friday It was very nerve-racking to meet members of the senior leadership team, and especially to take part in a presentation with them as the audience, but it was definitely something that went well for me. It gave me a chance to hear their own stories and how they got to where they are today, and it allowed me to express what I’ve learned during the week as well as what I enjoyed.
Later this Year
Building on the successes of this academic year, a number of valuable placements are confirmed for later in 2025. Students will have a range of long-term opportunities with the NHS Ambulance Service and the Mast Group. In addition to these long-term placements, a group of students will also be undertaking one-week placements with Alfred H Knight, further expanding their experience in the life sciences sector.
Overall, the work experience programme was a resounding success, providing students with a broad and insightful view on multiple roles preparing them for their future careers and higher education.
If you're interested in opportunities like these for Sixth Form, there's still time to enrol for this September. Just bring your GCSE results with you on results day, and we can get you enroled.