Sonya Taylor: Eye and Vision Laboratory Apprentice

Sonya is an apprentice in the Eye and Vision Department at The University of Liverpool. She began her apprenticeship in 2014 after completing her AS Levels. Prior to this, Sonya took part in a three-month Prince’s Trust programme, where she attended a residential and took part in team building activities, communal work, volunteering and fundraising. She also attended a pharmacy as part of the work experience programme. All of this helped Sonya to prepare for employment.

Achieving her ambition

The Prince’s Trust recommended the National Apprenticeship Services website as a good source of apprenticeship information. She browsed the vacancies and prioritised her search by looking for practical and scientific frameworks. Science had always been an interest of Sonya’s, specifically the vision sector as her grandad was born with sight in only one eye and suffered from lifelong vision problems.

The University stood out to her as a great opportunity; she liked the idea of all the new people she would meet whilst completing her apprenticeship as she was aware that the University is a large organisation with lots of potential opportunities.

Developing within herself and the organisation

Sonya feels she has grown more mature and developed during her apprenticeship. She says that her social skills have improved and she feels more confident working in a team than she previously did. Her colleagues are always there to help and guide her and she feels she is an equal member of staff and feels very supported in her role.

Having now progressed onto her NVQ Level 3, Sonya feels as though she is still developing. She finds attending college one day a week to be of much interest as she is learning the academic understanding of her Laboratory practical activities.

It is noticeable that Sonya is really happy within her work place and with her apprenticeship. She says: “One of my favourite things about my placement is that I get to do different activities. The jobs do vary a lot which means I get to do different things every day. For example, one day I may be dissecting pig eyes, the next day seeding and sub-culturing cells into well plates or cleaning and maintaining the laboratory. The main quality to this apprenticeship is that it is practical and this is one of my strengths.”

Sonya feels she has benefitted so much from her experience here at the University. She likes the structure to her days, the experience she is gaining and the working relationships she has built. Sonya is extremely passionate about her job and describes it as one of the best things to have happened to her. She hopes to be a fully qualified Laboratory technician one day, and is thankful that after completing her apprenticeship she will be one step closer to achieving her dream.