Work Related Learning STEM visit to Eisai Pharmaceuticals
An inspiring visit to a global business gets us thinking about our future choices
| We visited Eisai Manufacturing Limited headquarters in the Hatfield Business Park. We met some of the really enthusiastic STEM Ambassadors, including scientists, engineers and HR. They explained their different roles in the company as well as how they started their own careers. We then had the opportunity to try different areas of the manufacturing process including tablet making. To do this we were presented with the powder (icing sugar and a few sprays of water) and given a compression apparatus. We had to try to keep the tablet intact; some groups had better luck than others! We then delved deeper into different company roles as we attempted a task of quality control. There were six tablets, with only one being the ‘perfect’ example. After ruling out tablets with obscure colours and shapes we found the correct one. Finally, we visited biochemistry labs where ground breaking research into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is taking place. We studied different types of cells through a microscope to determine which type of cell was being drown from stem cells.
After lunch, we took a grand tour of some of the different departments and the warehouse in Eisai. We had fun changing into lab coats, hair nets and shoe covers, allowing us to take a look at the manufacturing/production and packaging lines of some medicines. We were amazed at the precision and care taken in the production of drugs. Our visit ended by viewing the air and water filtration systems. It was a really eye opening visit, showing everyone the way a pharmaceutical company works. We had not really considered the pharmaceutical world as having such a wide range of careers, and we were fascinated to hear more about the wide range of opportunities available in both business and scientific fields. We heard from one of BHGS former pupils, Natalia S, who started an apprenticeship there in September, and also from the Qualified Person who manages the operations side of the business, and is a former BHGS pupil, Jenna Tye. I would like to thank all of the STEM Ambassadors at Eisai for taking the time to show us around and talk to us about their careers – we thoroughly enjoyed the day. Fatimah A. |
