Opening doors

‘New opportunities have provided me with a chance to explore other pathways that are available to me within the business’

Roland remarks that assisting his daughter Anna with her apprenticeship, which she began at Sterling in 2017, has highlighted to him even further how much the sector has changed since he began his career: “The regulatory requirements are far more rigorous now, and it’s vital to stay up to date with the latest guidance, as it is constantly changing and evolving.”

Paul Wright, Head of Project and Process Engineering, who first joined Sterling in 1990, agrees: “The regulatory side of things is what I would say has changed the most over the years, especially in the time between my son Jack and I starting in the industry. It’s becoming more stringent as the years go on, and we are constantly seeing more audits from various global bodies.”

Andy Borthwick and his son, Adam, have also noticed a growing culture of safety in the industry. Andy says: “I’ve always felt safe working in the pharmaceutical industry, but the culture has evolved since I joined, and I was Adam’s age. Safety comes first and foremost, as a result of learnings that have come over time, with many more regulations in place to keep people safe at work.”

Adam agrees: “Behavioural reviews are a big thing at Sterling in terms of supporting apprentices, particularly from a health and safety perspective. We have these regular reviews with our Talent Acquisition team to make sure we are up to date with all the latest training, which wasn’t as common when my dad was my age.”

Andy Stephens, Head of Business Systems, joined Sterling in 1998. At the time, his father was the Planning Manager at Sterling and Andy had spent time on work experience in the quality control labs, before securing his position as a Scale-up Lab Technician Apprentice. In 2020, Andy’s son, Kobi, joined Sterling as a Warehouse Admin Apprentice and now works as a Material Controller.

Andy reflects: “GMP manufacturing and the surrounding regulations have always been a big thing, but they have become progressively more stringent over the years. There’s been a huge shift around health and safety culture since I first began my career.”

Although findings from YouGov and The Times revealed that only 4% of Britons believe a university degree is the best option, university degrees still have a significantly higher uptake than apprenticeships for young people.

“A lot of people think because you’re on an apprenticeship, you can’t go into higher education, but you certainly can now,” explains Jack, who has completed both a degree and a master’s qualification following his apprenticeship. He says: “Learning on the job, and being able to apply what you learn in classes to the real world, is really helpful for your career.”

Paul agrees with his son, saying: “The ability to apply the knowledge and the practical skills learnt massively help with development and learning.

“The skills and roles needed on a chemical plant like ours are so diverse, and even though I stuck with engineering, there is the opportunity to branch out into other areas. You don’t have to strictly follow the path your apprenticeship has started you on and Sterling is incredibly willing to support you on that.”

Paul continues: “I started as an apprentice, and I’m now part of our Dudley site’s senior leadership team, so it just goes to show the different career paths and possibilities available to you as a Sterling apprentice and the company’s willingness to support your development.”

Kobi, who passed his Business Administration apprenticeship in December 2022 and works as part of Sterling’s warehouse team, has since been getting involved with the Projects team: “This new opportunity has provided me with a chance to explore other pathways that are available to me within the business.”

Jack also acknowledges the opportunities he knew he could benefit from as a result of an apprenticeship and witnessing his father, Paul’s journey: “I knew from my dad’s career at Sterling that I would learn a lot here due to the diversity of the skills required on site. The Dudley site is so diverse from an E&I perspective with opportunities to learn so much, from small-scale research and development to 3,000-gallon main plant reactors, which helps me to build upon my career and current skills.”

Andy Borthwick agrees with Paul and Jack: “Adam has the potential to be a technician on the plant like I did or to take a completely different career path as a result of the opportunities offered at Sterling. Our apprentices are given the chance to work in all departments to see where their skills lie best, which really allows our apprentices to grow.”

He adds: “They gain a wide variety of knowledge from hands-on experience and academic training, alongside continuous professional development, which I don’t think can be achieved as easily via other academic routes.

“Not only are there multiple learning and development opportunities as part of an apprenticeship, but you also have the chance to build friendships. Some of the people I met on my first day as an apprentice here in 1985 are still some of my good friends today, which just shows how much of a strong, teamworking mentality there is here.”

Similarly, Anna highlights the benefit of learning while working: “I knew that an apprenticeship could provide the possibility for further development down the line. In addition to on-the-job learning and development opportunities, there are so many other chances awarded to you, including off-the-job learning.

“I have been invited to events where I have been able to network with other people in the industry and have attended webinars and seminars, which allow me to keep up to date with trends, which can benefit both the organisation and my personal development.”

In 2017, Anna followed in her father’s footsteps and joined Sterling to support the process control department with documentation. She went on to apply for an E&I apprenticeship, and today, Anna is currently studying a degree apprenticeship, due for completion in 2026.

Roland, now retired from Sterling, also completed an HNC/HND qualification in E&I in 2014, and concluded: “It was very hard, and I don’t think that I’d be able to do what Anna has to do now!”

As described by Sterling’s current apprentices and their parents, apprenticeships have demonstrably changed over the years to keep pace with industry.

As a result, the opportunities they provide continue to grow and reap benefits, including more access to off-site networking opportunities, experiences within a variety of roles and departments across the business to find their passions, as well as chances to earn while they study higher qualifications funded by the organisation to further their careers.