SIP Skills Strategy Shows Demand for 250,000 Jobs in the Science Industries by 2025

LONDON, July 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The Science Industry Partnership (SIP) has published its first SIP Skills Strategy, based on a major research exercise into the skills required through to 2025 in order to ensure a globally competitive science industry sector - which includes the chemicals, pharmaceuticals, bio-technology and medical technology industries.

The Skills Strategy forecasts the sector's demand for skilled people out to 2025 - a projection of between 180,000 - 260,000 new scientific staff, many in new technology-based occupations. This includes:

• up to 142,000 professional level graduate-entry jobs
• up to 73,000 technical level apprenticeship-entry roles

George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Health has welcomed the Strategy: 

"The report from the Science Industry Partnership shows that the UK science and innovation sector is set to generate over 250,000 skilled jobs over the next 10 years. We are committed to maximising the potential of British scientific talent so that we can drive economic growth through innovation and give more young people the chance to work in this exciting industry."

Malcolm Skingle, SIP Chair and Director of GSK added: 

"These key strategic industries change our world for the better in innumerable ways, but there remains a significant and ongoing need to recruit, train and develop employees at both technical and managerial levels as the demand for innovation and higher-level skills intensifies. This important research gives us priority areas which we can target with action and solutions."

Recommendations include:

• Continued collaborative action between central and devolved governments, employers and providers
• The critical need to build high quality provision  for vocational learners through to Higher Education
• Building awareness of STEM industry careers and entry routes will need continued focus and co-ordination at a national level
• Increased availability of practical work experience opportunities for HE students is urgently required, as well as more transfer initiatives between NHS/private sector
• Improved CPD for the existing workforce including easier access and flexible, short courses - including more support for SMEs
• Priority attention required on "red list" occupations  from informatics specialists to the technician workforce

These recommendations are being taken forward into an ambitious SIP Plan which includes an ambition for 20,000 apprentices over the next 5 years as well as 300 industry placements per annum.