Student wins accolade for her work at AZ
ACHEMISTRY student with a placement at AstraZeneca has been named ‘apprentice of the year’ at an awards ceremony.
Roxanne Wright is an apprentice at pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca in Macclesfield studying for a Chemical Science Degree Apprenticeship at Manchester Metropolitan University.
She has been named ‘Apprentice of the Year’ by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and was awarded the accolade at a ceremony at Manchester’s Midland Hotel.
Part of the RSC’s ‘Chemistry Means Business’ flagship event, the award recognises the outstanding achievement of an apprentice working in the chemical sector.
Susan Smith, product development manager at AstraZeneca, said: “From the moment she stepped into AstraZeneca, Roxanne has been fearless in her pursuit of knowledge, and her love of science shines through in her every interaction.
“I am immensely proud of her success and she is a wonderful role model for apprenticeships. We can all learn from the endeavour and drive of young scientists like Roxanne.”
Roxanne joined AstraZeneca in 2014 on an Advanced Apprenticeship and has this year progressed onto the first year of a degree apprenticeship. Her recognition demonstrates the impact apprentices can make in the workplace.
David Rutley, MP for Macclesfield, said: “I am delighted to hear of Roxanne’s success, which is a real credit to her hard work and commitment at AstraZeneca and in her university studies at Manchester Metropolitan on the degree apprenticeship programme.
“As well as being a welldeserved personal triumph, her recognition illustrates the outstanding contribution of degree apprentices to the success of the businesses in our area.”
This is the second time this year a degree apprentice at Manchester Met has made an impact at a national science and engi- neering mony.
Dr Michael Cole, principal lecturer in Chemical Science at Manchester Metropolitan University also congratulated Roxanne on her achievement.
He said: “I am really proud of Roxanne and her success in these awards is richly deserved. She is a fantastic apprentice student and a great advocate for both apprenticeships and women in science. I hope her recognition may help to inspire others to follow in her footsteps.” awards cere-