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Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants Apprenticeships Guide

Introduction To Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants Apprenticeships
A few years ago, there was a culture in the United Kingdom whereby it was considered that the only route to getting a fulfilling career was to go to university first to study full time and then look for graduate jobs. Now, thankfully, Apprenticeship programmes have changed all that and you wouldn’t believe the range of Apprenticeships out there for young people now. These days, you can even do specialised Pharmaceutical Apprenticeships!

If you are interested in sciences, medicines and helping people, then how about Pharmacy Technicians and Assistants Apprenticeships as a way into work? When it comes to Pharmaceutical Apprenticeships or Pharmacy Assistant Apprenticeships will mean you get to apply your interest in science to the pharmaceutical industry - and you will be providing high levels of customer service, too, advising people on the best medicines and how to take them.

If you think Pharmacy apprenticeships are for you, then take a look at what’s available and you could soon be doing pharmacy jobs; earning while you learn valuable skills...

GSK More info

GSK Lab Apprentice

Nationwide

Our laboratory apprenticeship programme will allow you to work in either a manufacturing or R&D laboratory; the heartbeat of our company. Whether we are developing a new treatment, improving the taste of one of our consumer products or testing the effects of a nutritional product, the laboratory is home to all of these activities

GSK More info

GSK Pharmaceutical Technical Apprenticeships

Worthing or Montrose

The three year Pharmaceutical Technical apprenticeship will provide you with the opportunity to gain knowledge about Quality, Engineering and Manufacturing in the Pharmaceutical industry through a series of on-site job rotations.

Our Pharmaceutical Technical apprenticeship offers you the chance to study towards a Foundation degree while gaining valuable, paid work experience. And if you show the qualities we are looking for, you may be offered the opportunity to go on to study for a full degree or Masters!

How Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants Apprenticeships Vary
Your experience whilst doing Pharmaceutical Apprenticeships will differ depending on the setting you are working in. For example, you could be doing pharmacy assistant jobs in a high street pharmacy, in a large supermarket or even within a local hospital.

Also, depending on the city, college or training centre you are doing your Apprenticeships in Pharmacy with, you could be assessed completely on the job - or you could be required to spend some time off the job, either in college or a training centre, developing specific skills.

So, for Pharmacy Apprenticeships, London training centres and pharmacies might have a completely different set up to those in Manchester or Birmingham, for example.

What Is Involved With Apprenticeships In Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants?
Whatever type of Apprenticeship jobs you do, there is usually a set route where you work through different levels: Intermediate, Advanced and Higher Level - and the qualifications you earn are directly related to the industry you are working in. Pharmacy Assistant Apprenticeships are no different. For all Pharmacy Apprenticeships, you will do:
  • Functional Skills Maths and English (if you have not already achieved Grade C or above at GCSE).
  • Personal Learning and Thinking Skills.
  • Employee Rights and Responsibilities.
  • Diplomas and certificates directly related to pharmacy jobs.
Intermediate Level Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants Apprenticeships
Intermediate Apprenticeships in Pharmacy will see you doing a variety of duties where you are under the supervision of a fully qualified pharmacist. This is where it all starts - and the types of duties you can expect to do in Intermediate Pharmacy Apprenticeship jobs are:
  • Collecting prescriptions
  • Selling medicines that are available over the counter
  • Learning how to order and store general stock and medicines in the pharmacy
  • Learning about products in the pharmacy and advising customers on the most suitable ones for them
What Qualifications Will I Gain In Intermediate Level Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants Apprenticeships?

Intermediate Pharmacy Apprenticeships can take around a year (sometimes longer) to complete and, depending on your place of work, there will be mandatory and optional units for you to take. On successful completion, as well as the mandatory Functional Skills (at Level 1), Personal Learning and Thinking and Employee Rights and Responsibilities, you will also be awarded:
  • Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Pharmacy Service Skills
  • Level 2 Certificate in Pharmaceutical Science
Advanced Level Apprenticeships In Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants
Again, Advanced Pharmacy Apprenticeships will differ depending on the setting, where you are working and the optional elements of the Apprenticeship you choose to do that directly relate to your job. When you are doing Advanced Apprenticeships in Pharmacy, under the supervision of the qualified pharmacist, you can expect to be doing duties such as:
  • Providing more specialised information and advice to customers
  • Assembling prescription medications
  • Stock control - using your IT skills to work with your particular pharmacy’s computerised system
What Qualifications Will I Gain In Advanced Level Pharmacy Technicians & Assistants Apprenticeships?

Your Advanced Apprenticeships in Pharmacy are going to take around 2 years to complete and there will be a variety of mandatory and optional units for you to complete. On completion of these Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeships, you will be able to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

As well as Functional Skills in Maths and English at Level 2 (if you didn’t already have grades A-C at GCSE or equivalent), Employee Rights and Responsibilities and Personal Learning and Thinking Skills, you will also be awarded:
  • Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Pharmacy Service Skills
  • Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science
Higher Level Pharmacy Technicians&Assistants Apprenticeships
There are currently no Higher Level Pharmacy Apprenticeship programmes. Once you have completed Advanced Apprenticeships in Pharmacy, you are a qualified pharmacy technician and you can be employed in community pharmacies or hospital pharmacies.

It doesn’t end here, of course. All pharmacy technicians are expected to continue their professional development throughout their career so, depending on where you are employed, there will specialised courses and qualifications for you to achieve.

Apply For Pharmacy Technicians&Assistants Apprenticeships In The UK
Pharmacy technician jobs and careers are as much about dealing with customers and being a ‘people person’ as they are about science and medicines - and there are tons of rewarding careers out there which you can access by way of Pharmacy Assistant Apprenticeships

If you think this is the career that could really suit you down to the ground, apply for any of the Pharmacy Apprenticeships today and you could soon be on the first rung of your pharmaceutical career ladder.

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