Former CHHS Sixth Former Will Ashworth has won a prestigious national apprenticeship award for his work in chemical sciences at biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

Will, who left the Sixth Form in 2017 after completing A levels in Chemistry, Maths and Biology, has been named the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemical Sciences Apprentice of the Year 2019. The accolade is given in recognition of outstanding contribution made by an apprentice working in the chemical sciences sector.

He was praised for his ‘outstanding contributions to a range of activities’ including developing and validating a novel Self Accelerating Decomposition Temperature Screening tool which enhances safety measurements for the storage and transport of potentially hazardous materials.

Will began his apprenticeship with AstraZeneca in Macclesfield in September 2017. He joined the Process Safety Group, quickly becoming an active member of the team contributing to a variety of laboratory experiments including explosivity screening tests, the validation of new instruments and equipment and calibration checks on current instruments, constantly learning new techniques and skills. Alongside this he worked towards his FdSc in Chemical Science, studying with Manchester Metropolitan University.

The Royal Society of Chemistry Apprentice of the Year runs annually and the winner receives a £1,000 prize. Winners are selected by an independent panel. This award is given to individuals who have been working as apprentices in a technical support role, with a strong basis in chemical sciences, for at least a year. Entrants are judged on their professionalism, contribution, achievement, development and personal attributes.