News: £52m cash injection for UK science skills

The UK science sector is to receive £52m to improve skills and training, in a bid to generate over 7,800 education and skills opportunities over two years.

The government-backed funding was announced by science minister David Willetts, at the launch of the Science Industrial Partnership (SIP), a consortium of 100 leading science sector employers, led by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

The partnership will design vocational training and skills programmes for the life sciences, chemicals and industrial science sectors, and aims to deliver 1,360 apprenticeships, 240 traineeships, 150 industry degrees, 230 Masters degree modules, 5,900 workforce development opportunities, as well as plans to attract young people into STEM jobs.

“The science based industries are critical to our future prosperity – and higher skills are the key driver of their competitiveness,” said Willetts.

“Our investment will help the industry to take the lead investing in the skills they need.”

The government will be contributing £32.6m, with £20m from employers, as well as £31m in-kind contributions.

Joanna Woolf, CEO of Cogent, the expert skills body for the science industries, added that the SIP is about job creation, talent development and sector growth.

“The SIP focuses on new career pathways into industrial science and medical technology careers as well as on the skills in innovation needed right across the sector.”

The funding formed part of a successful bid into the £340m Employer Ownership Pilot, a competitive fund available to employers who can demonstrate how they would better use public investment, alongside their own, to invest in the skills of their workforce, and help boost the UK economy.