Memorandum 6
Submission from the Association of the
British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
KEY POINTS
The education and skills of the workforce
are key to maintaining a thriving research based pharmaceutical
industry in the UK.
Introduction of the Commission for
Employment and Skills, and the re-licensing of Sector Skills Councils
(SSCs), is an opportunity to introduce joined up activity to meet
the education and training needs of industry
Provision of part time local education,
especially part time foundation and honours degree courses in
chemistry and biosciences, is often inadequate. Train to Gain
skills brokers could have a major impact on helping employers
provide ongoing education for their employees by identifying needs
across a sector, or similar needs across a range of sectors, and
brokering provision of appropriate courses locally and regionally
within further and higher education institutions.
INTRODUCTION
1. The ABPI is the trade association for
the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry in the UK. Members
include large UK-based pharmaceutical companies, significant overseas
investors in to the UK, emerging biopharmaceutical companies and
contract research organisations.
2. The historical strength of the UK in
attracting and growing R&D investment has been the supply
of skills and access to fundamental knowledge in the research
base. Access to skills and knowledgeespecially in pre-clinical
sciences, pharmacology, chemistry and early clinical developmentwas
the UK's key competitive advantage.
3. To support delivery of the education
and skills required by this research intensive industry, the pharmaceutical
industry has been one of the leading sectors in terms of collaborative
research with universities. Collaborations include funding of
over 600 PhD studentships and around 330 postdoctoral grants[24]
with 78 British universities in 2007. The total value of all of
the collaborations reported in the survey is in excess of £65
million.
4. UK pharmaceutical sites also hosted over
530 undergraduate students in their laboratories for periods between
3 months and one yearthe vast majority completed a one
year industrial placement as part of their degree.
5. The pharmaceutical industry continually
reviews the skills needs of its workforce. ABPI has convened a
taskforce to review progress against the recommendations made
in our 2005 report, Sustaining the Skills Pipeline[25]
and to identify any improvements in skills supply or additional
concerns.
IMPLEMENTING THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF
THE LEITCH
REPORT
6. Recruitment into the pharmaceutical industry
in the UK is largely at Level 4 and above. Research into the labour
market for the pharmaceutical and bioscience sectors by Semta[26]
found that, whereas over 70% of sites surveyed had recruited BSc
graduates in the last 12 months, and 60% had recruited people
with a PhD, only 11% had recruited people who had left school
in the last 12 months, and 13% had recruited people who had completed
an apprenticeship. Hence the Leitch targets for adult basic skills
and level 2 skills are less relevant to our sector than to many
others; the proposed shift towards level 3 and 4 qualifications,
proposed in the Leitch Implementation plan, are of more relevance
to our sector.
7. The same report found that turnover in
some types of company was high. In contract research organisations
on average nearly one third of current employees had been recruited
in the last 12 months, and 27% were new employees in the industrial
biotechnology sector. Turnover was lower in pharmaceutical research
and development sites (12%) and pharmaceutical manufacturing sites
(5%).
8. The Semta labour market survey found
that pharmaceutical and bioscience companies spend a considerable
amount of time and money on training; the majority of this is
on off the job training related to specific job roles. The total
spend, for the 132 sites which estimated their training spend,
was over £10 million, the majority of companies expect training
spend to increase in the next 12 months. Laboratory scientists
are most likely to receive training with 78% of sites providing
training for this group. Barriers to increasing the amount of
training carried out were mainly focussed on allowing staff time
off to train and the high cost of local training provision.
9. Regional structures for delivery of skills
training are of limited value to an industry which acts globally
and where many employees are recruited on a national, and frequently
international, basis. The key elements of education for which
regional delivery is required are part time provision of HNC in
biology and chemistry, and follow on undergraduate degrees. This
provision is often lacking, leading to apprentices from Novartis,
Horsham having to travel to the University of Greenwich to follow
a course that meets their needs.
10. The Commission for Employment and Skills
is in its infancy; however we see as an urgent priority, within
the re-licensing of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), more joined
up activity to meet the education and training needs of the UK
pharmaceutical industry. The lack of clear differentiation of
responsibility for scientific and technical subjects between the
SSCs[27]
(Annex) demonstrates the lack of a coherent framework. This has
led to confusion amongst employers and education providers on
the most appropriate SSC to engage with and has probably contributed
to the slow pace of activity to meet our needs.
11. The education and skills of the workforce
are key to maintaining a thriving research based pharmaceutical
industry in the UK. Hence the focus for relevant SSCs must include
high level education and skills, including university provision,
as well as vocational qualifications. A Sector Qualifications
Strategy for the Bioscience Sector (SQS) is under development,
led by Semta; this will identify the importance of higher education
qualifications to this sector. We understand that there has been
a recent improvement in the engagement of HEFCE with Sector Skills
Councils towards consideration of funding for employer-led demands.
12. Funding for three pilot employer engagement
projects has, indeed, already been provided by HEFCE, however
much of the funding has gone to support development of infrastructure
for employer engagement and co-funded provision. It is too early
to see if this funding will have any impact on engagement with
pharmaceutical employers. In general HE sector funding for undergraduate
education does not put any emphasis on meeting the needs of employers;
hence engagement with Higher Education Institutions is likely
to be difficult. Effective engagement is, however, essential if
the SQS is to be effectively implemented.
13. Enabling SSCs to approve additional
vocational qualifications is an opportunity; but it will only
be effective if these qualifications are valued, and taken up,
by significant numbers of employers. Ensuring that the framework
of qualifications is fit for purpose, to allow seamless progression
to further and higher education, and to employment, should be
the main focus of any curriculum development carried out by Sector
Skills Councils. An ongoing review of National Occupational Standards
relevant to the pharmaceutical and bioscience sectors has revealed
that many areas do not have qualifications suited to their needs
and that significant updating of others are required[28].
14. Coordination of further and higher education
provision and awareness of opportunities are a major issue. Some
companies take on science apprentices, however provision of part
time regional education, especially part time foundation and honours
degree courses in chemistry and biosciences, is lacking in many
regions, forcing students to travel long distances for their higher
education. Information on foundation degrees, in particular, is
patchy. Although several searchable directories of information
on foundation degrees exist, the information they provide is not
consistent. This is an area where Train to Gain skills brokers,
working with Sector Skills Councils, could have a major impact.
However their focus to date appears to have been working with
individual companies rather than by identifying needs across a
sector, or similar needs across a range of sectors, we have yet
to see evidence of this happening.
15. Introduction of Skills Accounts, to
be piloted from autumn 2008, together with unique learner numbers,
will be a positive move towards engaging adults in lifelong learning.
The effectiveness of the system will depend on local provision
of appropriate courses; this is the area which we believe must
be addressed if all learners are to have the opportunity to progress.
16. The education and skills needs of science
based industries will only fully be met when companies and education
and training partners work together effectively. Sector Skills
Councils, Regional Development Agencies, higher and further education
institutions and skills brokers can all play a part in identifying
and meeting these needs. The economic health of research based
industry in the UK is dependent on effective joined-up working
of all these organisations.
April 2008
Annex


24 Data from 11 pharmaceutical companies for collaborations
in 2007 (ABPI survey, unpublished data) Back
25
Sustaining the Skills Pipeline in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical
sectors, ABPI, 2005 (http://www.abpi.org.uk/Details.asp?ProductID=285) Back
26
Labour market survey of the pharmaceutical and bioscience sectors,
Semta, 2006 (http://www.semta.org.uk/pdf/LMS_Science_2006.pdf) Back
27
Memorandum of Understanding on the representation of the pharmaceutical
sector, June 2006 Back
28
Sector Qualifications Strategy for Bioscience (draft), March 2008,
SEMTA. Back
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