Grow, develop, and reach your full potential with an organisation that works tirelessly to change lives by creating innovative treatment options for incurable diseases
Who are we?
Coordinated by Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and created in partnership with UK Research and Innovation, we are the Advanced Therapies Apprenticeship Community (ATAC). We have been established to develop apprenticeship programmes, designed specifically to train and upskill individuals for the cell and gene therapy industry.
What are cell and gene therapies?
Cell and gene therapies aim to treat, prevent and potentially cure diseases. Gene therapy uses genetic material, or DNA, to modify a person’s genes to treat or cure diseases, whilst in cell therapy, whole new, healthy cells are transplanted into a patient’s body to replace diseased ones.
Why choose an ATAC apprenticeship?
- You’ll be helping to transform people’s lives by working to offer better treatment options, and even cures for life-altering and threatening diseases.
- You’ll automatically join a community of 250 apprentices and over 50 employers in the cell and gene therapy sector who are making real-life contributions to the growth of this disruptive
industry. - Throughout your apprenticeship, we’ll be on-hand to assist both you and your employer with ongoing support.
- The ATAC community is an ever-growing valuable source of connections and mentoring opportunities. Across your apprenticeship, you’ll be introduced to the wider industry to help you begin your professional development.
Enriching your apprenticeship
You will be allocated a portion of your working hours (an average minimum of 6 hours per week) to dedicate to off-the-job study; the rest of the time, you’ll be developing your skills on-the-job.
We also provide a full calendar of enrichment activities all year round for ATAC apprentices, designed to support your growth. These include:
- Behaviours webinars
- Complimentary training sessions
- Industry speakers
- Industry site visits
- Award ceremonies and celebrations
- Networking events
Upon completion of your apprenticeship, not only will you obtain an accredited qualification, but you’ll also have gained new transferable skills which will help propel you into the professional workplace.
Types of apprenticeships
We offer apprenticeships at all levels from Level 3 (BTEC) to Level 7 (Master’s) across categories including: Research and development, science manufacturing and engineering, leadership and management, quality and regulatory and logistics.
Meet Rushil, Level 6 ATMP bio/chemical engineer, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
How has ATAC supported your development?
ATAC has supported my development by providing sessions, such as site visits, to better understand what a career in advanced therapies can provide. They offer a great insight into the industry as well as showing you what opportunities are out there for the future.
What has been the most rewarding or interesting project you have been involved in and why?
For one of my projects, I was doing DSP (digital signal processing) experiments. The information gathered from these experiments was very positive and they are now able to manufacture the product on a large scale to help treat an illness. This was very rewarding as the work I did helped contribute to the quality of patients’ lives.
Meet Theo, Level 5 ATMP technician scientist, F-Star Therapeutics, Inc
Why did you choose to pursue an advanced therapies apprenticeship?
I wanted to gain high-level technical experience as a priority. The fact that I could also earn a degree made the apprenticeship route a no-brainer.
What would you say to someone thinking of pursuing an apprenticeship in advanced therapies?
If you’re unsure about going to university, really consider the apprenticeship route. It will give you the opportunity to earn money whilst gaining an extensive skill set, and to top it all off, you can work to get a university degree as well. It’s the best of both worlds between getting a job and going to university.
To find out more about ATAC apprenticeships, visit advancedtherapiesapprenticeships.co.uk or email apprenticeshipsinfo@ct.catapult.org.uk
