“I would like to be a doctor. Coming to Vertex kind of made it clear to me that I would love to do that for the rest of my life.”
Praise, Year 12 Intern
We established and launched a Learning Lab at our Oxford, U.K., Research Site in 2021 — a dedicated lab space for local students to meet Vertex Pharmaceuticals employees and conduct hands-on, real-world experiments.
One of our signature STEAM* education programs is our paid internship for year 12 students in Oxford and Didcot. This internship is one of the ways we provide access to students who have been traditionally underrepresented in biotech and show them that a STEM career can be part of their future.
Students spend mornings in the Learning Lab working through our Making Medicines curriculum. “I love providing students with the opportunity to do hands-on practical science,” said Roberts Zivtins, Ph.D., Head of our Oxford Learning Lab. “We know that practical science is so important for students’ continued interest in the subject, unfortunately not all students get the opportunity in school to physically do much practical science.”
In the afternoons, students are paired with a Vertex employee who serves as their manager. They get to work on real projects that help advance our science and our business — getting the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work at a biotech company, not just read about it.
Learn more about our year 12 summer internship program:
Learn more about our commitment to STEAM education in our communities at https://www.vrtx.com/responsibility/our-steam-commitment/.
* We’re intentional about including the arts when referring to STEAM education, as we believe infusing the arts and creative thinking into education are essential for a career in STEM.