Employers to Lead New Science Industry Partnership

UK science-using employers are leading the way on skills through the development of a Science Industry Partnership. The new Partnership has already signed up around 50 employers: some of the first to become engaged include – GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson, Amgen, MedImmune, Fujifilm Diosynth, Ineos, Victrex, Takeda Cambridge and Pentagon Chemicals. Together these employers are developing a vision of the skills base needed for global success. The Science Industry Partnership will commission innovative skills solutions which will challenge the status quo and ensure the UK has the technicians, scientists and innovators of the future.

To establish the Partnership a range of leading employers from the science-using sector will be submitting a bid into the Government’s Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot (EOP). This £340m competitive fund is investing in a range of pilot proposals from employers who are willing to work together in similar Partnerships and take ownership of skills in their sectors.

GSK Director Malcolm Skingle, who will Chair the Science Industry Partnership said, “If Britain is to remain at the cutting edge of scientific discovery, it’s crucial that we’re able to access the right talent and that we know how to nurture this. This partnership will put employers in the driving seat, allowing us to identify ways of attracting the best young people and in turn securing the essential skill base for a prosperous UK science-based sector.”

Cogent has issued an open invitation to employers to get involved, and interested parties should email julie.plumbley@cogent-ssc.com