'Apprentice of Year' award for chemistry student Talia
University of Bradford student Talia Pryce has just been named Apprentice of the Year at the Nepic Annual Industry Awards.
Talia, from Redcar, started her BSc chemistry course at Bradford after taking up an apprenticeship position with Mitsubishi as a research scientist - she works four days a week and studies one day a week.
Her award comes as she approaches the end of her four-year course. In her day job, she works on the chemical processes used to make polymers, which are then used for things like making acrylic, which have wide application across many industries.
Commenting on the award, she said: “Chemistry has always interested me. I feel very proud to have been nominated and then won this award. This is a really good way to get industry experience, I’d definitely recommend it to other people. I’ve really enjoyed all the lectures, and the lecturers have been very supportive, especially during the covid pandemic.”
Assistant Professor Tom Swift, from the Faculty of Life Sciences, said: “Talia was one of the first students to enrol on our new programme, and Mitsubishi was the first company to test the water of the newly approved Level 6 Laboratory Scientist standard. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring this new method of delivering high quality chemical science education in a new setting with her and further understanding the impact our teaching and research has on local, national and international business operations.”
Talia also won £1,000 as part of her award.
The Nepic Awards are now in their 16th year and celebrates outstanding individual and corporate success within the chemical-processing industry.