Biotechnology, a sector with a turnover in the UK of over £5bn and a workforce of around 38,000 is expected to grow through increased adoption by many sectors in the economy including pharmaceutical production, fuel production, novel plastics and chemicals.

Biotechnology will become increasingly important as it helps the UK meet societal challenges of an aging population, improving sustainability and decarbonising our industry and transport sectors.

The skills problem

In order to respond to the growing biotechnology sector and to compete on the world stage, companies need to invest in the skills of their employees. It has been identified that graduates entering the field lack the business skills to succeed and apprentices need qualifications to support their work based training. The existing workforce also has a requirement for ongoing training to be able to adapt to new technologies and business processes.

The solution

One critical success factor for meeting the skills challenge is delivering targeted training in the right format, in the right place and at the right time, for both the employer and the learner. The Academy has been working with industry and training providers to ensure this takes place and that skills provision is developed to meet the growing need.

Academy Training Providers

The University of Lancaster and TOPRA, a regulatory affairs organisation are the two most recent training providers in biotechnology going through the Academy accreditation process. These 'founder providers' will benefit from having Academy accredited courses, and trainers and will have access to funding to develop further courses in areas identified by industry. They will also have the support of the Academy in finding new learners and marketing their facilities and courses.

Skills support for employers

The Academy is working with a number of biotechnology companies through theSkills Assuranceprocess. This tool identifies the gaps in individuals' training and forms the basis of an objective, personalised and cost-effective development plan, helping companies to get the best return from their staff. In the plan recommendations will be made about the most suitably qualified Academy Accredited Training Providers to deliver the training solutions.

The Academy recently undertook aSkills Assuranceat Croda in Widnes. The Sun Care & Biotechnology Division at Widnes is a world leader in the research, development and manufacture of naturally derived speciality biopolymers and biosynthetic actives for consumer care products, and speciality inorganic UV absorbers for both skin and sun care applications. The Widnes site is also the commercial base for Croda's global activities in biopolymers, biotechnology and sun protection.

As Nick Challoner, MD Suncare and Biotechnology at Croda says 'This thorough assessment of our staff capabilities against the Gold Standard has enabled us to plan for future training needs and to assess the skills needs of future employees. We were pleased to score well  but accept that we can always further improve the skills of our employees and look forward to working through accredited providers to do this'.

Employers who take part in the Skills Assuranceprocess will see performance improvements through effective management of their employees. Training needs are also aligned with business goals and allow you to see a clear demonstration of organisational competence.

In addition to theSkills Assurance process, the Academy also works with employers to create their training strategy and policy documents and supports them working through these. The latest company we worked with in this way was Ensus which operates one of the world's largest cereal grain biorefineries at Wilton on Teeside. The company refines locally grown animal feed wheat to produce over 400 million litres of bioethanol. It required standardisation of its training procedures and a plan of action for its 70 employees on site which the Academy delivered.

Mark Wilson, Operations Manager said 'The training strategy developed for Ensus by the Academy has shown where our training focus needs to be and helped us to budget and plan for our employees' training needs. It  allows us to illustrate a comprehensive training plan is in place and that we take the skills of our employees seriously, something we believe that job seekers are looking for in their employers'

For more information on how the Academy can work with your organisation please contact Kevin Thrower, Biotechnology Business Manager on k.thrower@nsapi.co.uk or call 07894 483694.

Photo: Joanna Woolf, Cogent Chief Executive presents Keith Layden and Nick Challoner with Croda's Gold Standard certificate.