Cogent, the national skills council for the science-based industries is delighted to see this includes confirmation of measures to ensure educators provide the skilled individuals the fast emerging bioscience sector needs to flourish. The Government has said, “In the life sciences sector, the Government will work to improve market signalling by bringing companies and educators together, through Cogent, the Sector Skills Council, to ensure that educators provide the skilled individuals the sector needs to grow.”

A range of associated measures will also bring momentum to Cogent’s work to ensure the existing workforce across the science-based industries is highly skilled, as well as to bring in new talent.

Key budget extracts on skills and Cogent responses

1. Healthcare and Life Sciences: even though there are large numbers of biological science graduates...61 life sciences employers are reliant on workers from overseas, with a third of the sector’s workforce sourced from abroad.

To ensure educators provide the skilled individuals the sector needs to grow, the Government will, through Cogent, improve market signalling by bringing companies and educators together.This action will form part of a package of measures Cogent will present to Government, by spring 2011, to ensure biology training at all levels meets employer needs.

Cogent response: Cogent is working with the Office of Life Sciences, and through its employer-led Life Sciences Advisory Council, led by industry champion, Nigel Brooksby, to develop a plan that will see solutions to the problems employers and universities have identified. This is building on the excellent work of key partners.

Our partner, The National Skills Academy Process Industries has recently been extended to cover biotechnology, and will deliver training to the sector through a network of Academy Accredited Training Providers. Over three years this is expected to grow to around 20 of the highest quality training providers in the UK.

In parallel, Cogent is developing a number of clear pathways to meet employer demand for highly skilled technicians in the bioscience sector.

The following routes are in development:

Working Higher: Cogent and the University of Kent have developed a new industry standard technician foundation degree programme in bioscience. The work-based programme is ideally suited to those that have little or no formal qualifications post GCSE/A Level/HNC.

Higher Level Apprenticeships: Supporting alternative technical training pathways for school leavers, aligned to the above Working Higher foundation degree.

Placement and internship programmes: these are also vital to the development of practical and employability skills, and Cogent is engaging with a number of partners to help develop and increase the delivery of these opportunities across Higher Education.

Cogent CEO, Joanna Woolf added: “through industry leadership and investment in skills, the life science industries, a key part of our economy, will be rewarded with an increased share in markets emerging across the globe.”

2. Apprenticeships: an additional 80,000 work experience places for young people and an additional 50,000 apprenticeship places will be created within the next four years.

The Government has committed to expanding Higher Apprenticeships across all sectors from current numbers (around 1,500 starts in 2009-10), which will include looking at proposals to support the Advanced Manufacturing sector - in particular developing a new Level 5 framework, which would provide a route for Apprentices to achieve professional accreditation as an engineer, is supported as a priority.

Cogent Response: crucially, the budget has set out clear plans to increase investment in and prestige of Apprenticeships and to ensure clear routes from Apprenticeships to higher level training.This is a key part of Cogent’s strategy and is of vital importance to the advanced manufacturing industries we represent, who need constant a supply of skilled employees with highly specialist training.

3. University Technical Colleges (UTCs): will provide leading edge technical training opportunities for 11-19 year olds. Top UK companies and universities will help set curricula to match the needs of the local economy and of their sectors, provide high quality work placements, and allow the colleges to use their specialist facilities. To enable more young people to gain the technical skills that employers need, the Government will expand the programme from 12 to at least 24 new UTCs by 2014.

As well as Aston UTC, the Black Country UTC will open in September this year, with sponsorship from Walsall FE College, the University of Wolverhampton, Siemens, National Grid and Cogent.

Cogent response: Cogent has wide experience on the 14-19 agenda, and is advising on the curriculum development for The Black Country UTC, which is aimed at creating the next generation of engineers and scientists. This new UTC, one of the first, will provide pupils with a unique opportunity to get a head start in developing the skills required for an exciting and rewarding career in the fast-changing engineering and science-based industries.

4. STEM skills: The Government recognises the importance of STEM skills for industry, in particular the manufacturing sector. In order to strengthen the STEM skills of young people in the UK and improve student awareness of STEM careers, the Government will support the Careers Profession Alliance to improve training for careers professionals in subject-specific specialisms, including STEM, to ensure young people have access to high quality, independent guidance to make informed decisions about STEM subjects and careers; increase the number of industry-school visits (e.g. by Apprenticeship Ambassadors); improve the teaching of STEM skills, by raising the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession; strengthen STEM promotion activities, including STEMNET.

Cogent Response: over 1500 careers advisers use the Cogent careers portal for the science-based industries www.cogent-careers.com every month as well as young people and their teachers. It’s established as the place to go for information on careers in the science-based industries. Cogent continues to provide industry data and intelligence to the Government to ensure careers advisers are armed with the best possible information to their job.

Cogent CEO Joanna Woolf added, “economic growth is in large part dependent upon human capital. It is the skills and contribution of employees that drive innovation and boost productivity. This is what delivers the goods and services the rest of the world wants to buy. And this means we need to ensure we secure and retain the very best talent, through a coordinated approach to workforce development in the sector; enhancing the skills of existing workers and developing new talent.”