A day in the life:
chemistry degree apprenticeship with Cubis Systems
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields are key drivers of global economic growth and innovation. However, sourcing and recruiting talented employees in STEM remains a challenge.
So, how do we at Cubis engage young people to look to us as a safe pair of hands to grow their STEM careers? There’s no better way than hearing from a young person embarking on that journey.
Meet Angela Turner — a Polymers Apprentice at Cubis Systems. She’s currently balancing her time in industry with a BSc in Chemistry. Here, Angela shares her experience of her chemistry degree apprenticeship through Cubis and gives an insight into her day job in polymer materials development.
"Hi Angela! Could you tell us a little about your course?"
💬 Angela:
“I’m studying a BSc (Level 6) Chemistry Apprenticeship at Bradford University. It’s a work-based programme that gives you a background in the chemical sciences, whilst also focusing on real-world applications across specific industries. So, the idea is to apply your university knowledge to your job as you learn and grow.
I’m on a levy-funded programme, so Cubis part-pays for my degree with support from the government.
For 20% of the week, I study my core topics including organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, and practical chemistry. Then, for the rest of the working week, I’m in the office working in our materials development team.”
"Is it easy to balance learning with the application of chemistry in Cubis?"
💬 Angela:
“My degree gives me more understanding of what’s happening in the lab. It’s a super busy programme, but studying Chemistry sets me up for the work we do here in the Cubis materials team.
At university, I’m studying the pure science. You need to understand this pure science to be able to apply it to real-world applications – and that’s just what I do in my role at Cubis.
So, while it can be a challenge to work full-time alongside a degree, I think the balance of both academia and office application makes for a great future in the field.”
"Why did you pick Cubis to complete your chemistry degree apprenticeship?"
💬 Angela:
“I liked the hands-on work that came with Cubis. A lot of science and research apprenticeships involve things people have never heard of – tiny amino acids, for example. With Cubis, I could work on something more tangible. I can see the physical output of my work, with products that are used in construction applications across the world.
Plus, Cubis is a CRH company. There’s so much opportunity working for a such a big and well-respected corporation. As an employee in the team here, it feels like a great “small enough to care, big enough to matter” scenario.
It helps that Cubis is such a supportive environment, too. Everyone is so helpful – it’s just a lovely bunch of people. I remember that I’d been nervous about going out onto the shop floor when I first joined, but that quickly went away after meeting the team! Everyone took me under their wing and helped point me in the right direction as I was learning.”
"What are your long-term career goals?"
💬 Angela:
“On graduation, I’ll go from being a Polymers Apprentice to Polymers Technician. Completing the role without the dual commitment of university will open a new angle for me, and I’ll be able to focus solely on our real-world applications here at Cubis.
In a more senior graduate position, I’ll be doing things like approving materials, assessing the equipment we use to produce it, and working on development projects.
Looking even further afield, I’m still deciding where I want to take my career. There are endless opportunities! Cubis and its parent company CRH is a really exciting place to be in the polymers materials field, so this is a good place to stay!”
"What does a typical day/week look like doing a chemistry degree apprenticeship?"
💬 Angela:
“A typical week for me is a mix of production trials and office admin – plus one full day at university. If it’s my university day, I’m studying my core modules and attending my various Chemistry classes.
Back in the office, if it’s a production trial day, we’ll be testing new or alternate materials. For example, that might be a new glass fibre to consider in our access chambers. We’ll test the material for strength, flex strength, and impact strength. Combined, these factors give us a good overview of how suitable the material might be for the application.
Production trial days are really fun – there’s always the possibility that you might make a new breakthrough. The process involves making formulations for the new material, making that particular mix with the right compounds, and then running the mix through various tests and calculations.
Meanwhile, if it’s an admin day at the office, I’ll be busy with documentation and relations. So, that might be things like uploading test results into our database, keeping on top of procurement, sending specimens to customers and so on.
Research can be a big factor for a chemistry degree apprenticeship, too. Many of the products we manufacture here at Cubis are made from Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) due to its strength. However, different glass fibres have different coatings, which can all impact the manufacture and specific qualities of the final materials. So, there are some fairly niche branches of polymers science to learn and stay abreast of.”
"What most excites you about your work?"
💬 Angela:
“Working at Cubis in polymer materials development, there’s a real scope to contribute to a more sustainable world. We’re creating new ways of making our mixes that perform better – resulting in improved sustainability outcomes out in the field.
To look at one example, we’re currently involved in a project with a UK university to recycle wind turbine blades. Specifically, we’re trialling whether we can use the extracted glass fibres from the blades in our materials. If they prove a viable replacement for virgin glass in our GRP, we could take yet another massive leap forwards in our sustainability mission.
Elsewhere, we’re also trialling a few recycled glasses as opposed to virgin glass. In recycled glass, the fibres have dispersed – making the material “fluffier”. As you can imagine, this then makes for a material that is harder to mix. However, through continued trials, we can work to create a viable work-around.
So, it really feels like I’m doing useful work in an impactful space. I can’t wait for the day in the lab when I have the next big, market-changing idea!”
Grow your career at Cubis
Angela and her chemistry degree apprenticeship are just one example of how Cubis looks to inspire its future talent. We have a rich history of creating apprenticeships – with a score of former apprentices going on to stay and grow with the company for years after the completion of their course.
Meanwhile, for the many students who don’t choose an apprenticeship-based course, we also offer a structured Graduate Programme. So, we make it accessible for young talent to begin their career with a fast-growing, market-leading global manufacturer.
To find out more information about starting your career at Cubis, follow the link here: https://www.cubis-systems.com/uk/careers/
