70 Barton Peveril Biology and Chemistry students received the opportunity to an Aspire Day with Alpha Laboratories.
Alpha Laboratories, based in Eastleigh, is a family run business that provides quality supply and support to UK and international scientists for their diagnostic and laboratory product needs.
In 2021, Barton Peveril Sixth Form College had received a £60,000 grant from Alpha Laboratories, to support and enhance its students’ education. The grant enabled the college and its students with new, state-of-the-art equipment for its Science Centre and materials and resources for classrooms. The grant also supported students from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as providing a range of employability experiences to benefit their future careers.
The Alpha Laboratories Aspire Programme is established to promote science and develop insight and understanding into the commercial application and employability of science degrees. Providing a series of presentations and workshops delivered from professionals, students are aided for their future planning and career pathways in the scientific field.
Barton Peveril Sixth Form College students reflect on their time at the Aspire Day at Alpha Labs, speaking:
Gabrielle Orbita, formerly of St Annes Catholic School:
I have nothing but praise for the team at Alpha for going above and beyond to deliver informative information about our future. Their explanations were very specific for what we asked for (in my case it was biomedical sciences) which is highly appreciated in a field with so much variety, and the recommendations and different pathways made me feel very seen and acknowledged.
Former student of Swanmore College, Jessica Fuente:
The Alpha Labs visit was a great opportunity to learn about careers in science. The staff were very helpful and friendly and offered lots of advice. We discussed many different careers such as medicine, biomedical science, marketing and more. It was very interesting to find out about the options available.
Alisa Filippova, formerly of Regents Park Community College:
Alpha Laboratories was exhilaratingly interesting. I was able to find out what different aspects there are within such a broad company, as well as seeing what alternatives pathways there are in a science-based career other than a direct career in healthcare. All the staff members were incredibly kind and answered any questions we had, and they were able to teach me what there is to Alpha, as well as other routes that can be taken in a science career. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Alpha Laboratories, and would like to thank all the staff members that were involved in this visit.
Former student of The Romsey School, Liz Finney:
I really enjoyed the Alpha lab visits- it was interesting and informative on other jobs you can do that still involve science as well as the different ways to get into medical jobs other than being a nurse or doctor. I also really enjoyed talking to the different workers about their experience of university or apprenticeships, and their views of working within the NHS as most of them did before their current job. The staff were very kind and helpful and were happy to answer any questions we had even if it didn’t relate to what we were being shown. For example, they talked to us about medical applications individually and where we could get work experience or what would be best for us. Overall, I really enjoyed the day, and it helped me really consider other career options.
Barton Peveril’s Director of Science, Nathan Chueng speaks on the success of the Aspire Day:
The ‘Alpha Aspire Barton Peveril Programme’ has been a huge success. Our A Level Biology students have really benefited from this amazing event organised by Alpha Labs. The opportunity to have hands-on laboratory experience in a local company is hard to come by and so this event certainly gives our students the edge in their university applications. I am delighted to see that so many of our students gained an in-depth knowledge of Alpha Labs, for example their marketing strategies and campaigns. Our A Level Media students also had the valuable experience of filming and editing the event as part of their studies. We very much look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Alpha Labs to enrich our students’ education.
Marketing Director of Alpha Laboratories, Carole Staniford comments:
It is our sincere pleasure to welcome the students from Barton Peveril to the Aspire days at Alpha Laboratories. All the team here really enjoy meeting them and sharing their knowledge and experience. We hope that the sessions enable the students to relate the science they are learning, to applications in the real world, and possibly help shape their future career paths. We may even welcome some of them back as employees one day.
