Joanne, student of our Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship, working in the Knightstone laboratory

Meet Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship Student, Joanne!


23/03/2023

Recently, our Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprentices swapped their usual online studies to attend a series of exciting in-person practical sessions in the laboratory at our Knightstone Campus.  

This was a particularly momentous occasion as our BSC (Hons) Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship is taught exclusively online, with our students based all over the UK.  

However, our personal approach here at UCW means we care about getting to know each and every one of our students. So, when the opportunity arose to invite our degree apprentices onto campus, we simply could not pass it up! 

Students took part in a series of practical sessions, led by lecturer in Public and Environmental Health; Nahum. The workshops were designed to inform and develop the apprentices’ understanding of environmental health in a way that can be applied to their everyday professional practices in the field.  

We caught up with Joanne, one of our brilliant Degree Apprentices all the way from Tyneside Council, to find out more about her course.  

Joanne told us the day spent on campus at UCW was very interesting: “We cultured bacteria and bacterial growth in the laboratory. We were looking at how to identify different forms of bacteria using gram-staining and streak plates.” 

We asked Joanne about the skills she is gaining from her studies with University Centre Weston, and how these are helping her develop in her career. 

She said: 

“Just learning about everything is so amazing because there’s so many different disciplines in environmental health. I’m predominantly working in housing at the moment. It’s interesting learning about microbiology, and the climate change, the planet and how everything interlinks really makes you start to think about things differently. 

“When looking for my degree apprenticeship, UCW’s offer was definitely the best, in terms of their staff’s expertise and the new way it’s being delivered online. This is something I find incredibly useful, being based in the Northeast, it means I can learn flexibly whilst working – which is fantastic. I’m thoroughly enjoying it!” 

Thanks Joanne! 

If you would like to find out more about the Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship programme at UCW, click here.