Career Heroes - Anastasiya Kovtun

Tell us more about you

I’m a Degree Apprentice at Almac, a company that develops and creates many different pharmaceutical drugs that are used by patients around the world to treat diseases.

When I’m not working, I really enjoy playing sports like netball and tennis. I often go to the gym too and in my spare time I like to read.

 

What kind of work do you do?

I work in the office and in the labs at Almac. My mornings usually start off with calibrating the balances and making sure they are ready for analysts to use. I’ll then bring some chemicals into the lab and make sure everything is stocked up.

Every day I have a set task, for example on Mondays I have to restock the Green Cube, which is a box full of chemicals, and then book them in on our system. When I have time in the afternoon I like to finish my day off with some archiving.

How did you become a Analytical Apprentice?

I started working part time when I was 16 in Five Guys while I was studying for my GCSEs. In Year 14, I started working in Nandos while doing my A Levels and then after I finished school, I began my job at Almac in September 2021.

I did my GCSEs and A Levels at Royal School Armagh. I did Chemistry, Geography, and Professional Business Services at A Level.

During the process of applying to University, I’d received five offers to study pharmaceutical science overseas. I discovered the opportunity to gain a degree through an apprenticeship route when I went to an Open Day and from then on I decided that it was the route I wanted to take.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

I would probably do Biology A Level, as Biology and Chemistry are very similar and there’s lots of crossover for different career paths where both would be useful.