Skills For Growth in the UK Bioeconomy 

The Skills Academy is currently developing a specialist biotechnology unit to meet the needs of industrial biotechnology and life science companies.

The bioeconomy is seen as being highly strategic to long-term economic growth, energy sufficiency, environmental sustainability and health and medication.

Biotechnology employers have identified a significant lack of provision. This pressing need for new provision demands a speed of response to meet the challenges the industries face.

The Skills Academy will achieve this through short courses and high levels of blended learning, incorporating e-learning. In addition to training products, the Skills Academy will broker access to specialists, since many training needs can be met by individual experts spending time with companies.

Building on current success, and reflecting the skills drivers and concerns of employers, a business model has been developed that incorporates the following elements:

• Engaging with employers directly and through stakeholder organisations reflecting the wider support needs particularly of the SME community.
• Identifying and developing providers within networks, enabling the development of their capability as Academy Centres and Centres of Excellence, able to meet the enhanced demands of employers.
• Developing, through Cogent SSC, industry-led training standards which underpin the development of all Academy products and their delivery.
• Sourcing and developing training courses, products and delivery materials validated against the standards and delivered by accredited providers.