The UK life sciences industry can support economic recovery but needs to prioritise the development and scope of higher skills, according to a Government report.

The first National Strategic Skills Audit, published by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, warns that the nation's life sciences sector can only maintain its leading global role if skills development needs are identified and prioritised.

Higher-level and interdisciplinary skills, including leadership, management and procurement, were identified by the report as needing development.

The report highlighted the global importance of the UK life sciences sector and its innovation. However, the report found, for the sector to realise its potential it must meet its skills needs in the future:

• It is essential to support the availability of higher-level skills in the life sciences sector, and the development of more interdisciplinary skills.

• These higher skills will be critical for the sector as it faces increased competition for graduates and postgraduates from other sectors and nations.

• The supply of skilled trade and associate professionals will be critical for successful production in the medical technology sub-sector.

• The life sciences sector needs to ensure a supply of people with the leadership and management skills to meet its specific needs -management of multi-disciplined or geographically-dispersed teams, lean management, negotiation and procurement.

Chris Humphries CBE, Chief Executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, said: "This is an important report for the UK that demands attention. The life sciences and pharmaceuticals sector depends on people being equipped with the right skills for the jobs of the future.

"Despite having a more skilled workforce than at any time in our history, we still lag behind many of our major economic competitors. In order to catch up, skills investment needs to connect more to the jobs that need doing now and that will need doing in the future. We need more and better businesses with more and better jobs not just to recover from the recession, but be better than we were before it."

 
Chris Humphries