Emerging from the August’s Political Forge, a Resounding Pledge Echoes: Transform the UK into a ‘Scientific Superpower’, A Beacon of Opportunity Illuminating Every Nook. A Noble Aspiration, Yet in the Realm of Reality, What Enchants Does It Hold? The Blueprint Unfurls in Two Pillars: the Grand Tapestry of Infrastructure and the Alchemical Mix of Skills. While the Bricks and Mortar Form the Epic Stage, Today, Our Focus Takes a Turn—Towards the Human Alchemists Whose Expertise Fuels the Future’s Progression.
As the Industry’s Roots Deepen and its Canopy Broadens, the Call for Expertise Grows Louder. In the Enchanted Realm of Science and Innovation, the Crystal Ball Speaks: Behold, by 2026, Bioprocessing Hungers for 10,000 Skillful Minds, a Whopping 151% Surge from 2021’s Dawn.
A Flourishing Landscape Beckons, as the UK Aspires to Scale the Pinnacle of Global Scientific Eminence. But Listen Closely, for Amidst this Thriving Garden, the Chant of Skills Resounds—A Melody that Must Be Played, for the Symphony to Unfold in Full Splendor.
Yet, Reality Casts a Shadow on These Noble Dreams. Behold, a Tricky Maze Awaits. In the Inner Sanctums of Companies, Graduates Forge the Lifeblood, Like Alchemists at Their Cauldrons. A Decade or So Past, a PhD’s Crossroads Beckoned—The Ivory Tower’s Embrace or the Embrace of a Giant Pharma Monolith.
But the Winds Have Shifted, and the Top PhDs are Gems Coveted by Titans Beyond the Lab—Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Deloitte, KPMG, and Many More Extend Their Siren Call. The Theater of Life Sciences, Too, Beckons to Expand Its Troupe. But in This Grand Play, the Actors Are Scarce, Their Skills Rare Jewels. As Companies Clamor to Cast Their Nets, the Talent Pool Shrinks, and the Drama of Challenge Unfurls.
A Grand Dilemma Emerges, Wrapped in a Tapestry of Dueling Forces. On One Hand, Salaries Swell in the Battle of Talent, a Symphony of Rivalry that Puts Strain on the Cradle-Bound Companies Emerging from Incubation. The Question Echoes: How to Mend This Skills Tapestry, and How Can the David-Like Biotech Minnows Stand Tall Amidst Goliath Corporations?
A New Symphony Echoes through the Recruitment Halls, a Crescendo of “Beg, Borrow, or Steal.” With Cunning Eyes, Companies Set Sights on Sinking Sectors, Picking Gems from the Ruins and Crafting New Diamonds of Expertise. Behold, the Era of Transferable Skills Dawns—A Jigsaw of Upskilling for a Fresh Canvas of Opportunity. Amidst this Stage, Enter the Spotlight: The Advanced Therapies Apprenticeship Community (ATAC), a Whirlwind that Whisks in New Recruits.
And See the Star Rising: The Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network (ATSTN) Online Training Platform (OTP), a Beacon Gaining Favor. In the Land of Data, 41% Voices Rise, Claiming the License or Knowing Its Name—a Tale of Growing Acclaim.
Behold the Heroes of ATAC and ATSTN, Marching with Bold Steps to Forge Growth Pathways for Companies. But Here Lies the Crossroads—their Journey Has Boundaries. A Call Echoes in the Wind, Urgent and Unyielding: Upskilling Our Science Vanguard Is a Mandate, Yet Beyond, the Quest Takes a Turn. Like Alchemists Seeking Elixir, We Must Find Ways to Lure New Stars to This Celestial Stage, Summoning Them from Uncharted Realms.
Skills and heritage – retraining a workforce
In the Blink of Time, the Life Sciences Realm Transforms: A Metamorphosis from the Shotgun Days of One-Size-Fits-All to the Ballet of Precision, Choreographed by Data’s Whisper. Behold, the Landscape Shifts, from Research to Regulation to the Dance of Manufacturing. But Focus on the Forge of Manufacturing—a Realm of Cell and Gene Therapies, Rare and Precious as Starlight Gems.
A Handful Dazzle Commercially, Yet a Void Lingers—a Skill Set Void, a Symphony Unheard. Companies, Like Pioneers of Old, Seek New Territories for Skilled Minds. The Answer Beckons from Unlikely Quarters: the World of Auto Craftsmanship. Here, the Blueprint of Process Resonates, Like an Echo Between Realms—A Car, a Therapy, Both Crafted Layer by Layer. A Symphony of Transformation, a Dance of Adaptation, as Knowledge Transmutes from Steel to Cells.
Location, location, location – following the skill sets
In the Symphony of Industry Evolution, Location Takes Center Stage. A New Age Dawns, Where Manufacturing Prowess Blooms Beyond Its Usual Boundaries. Witness the Magic: Science’s Call for Manufacturing Expertise Finds a Partner in the North of England’s Heritage.
A Tapestry of Skills Lies Dormant, a Phoenix Ready to Rise Anew in the Light of Commercial Science. In the Dance of Levelling Up, Fujifilm Diosynth Unveils a Showstopper—a £400 Million Overture in Teesside’s Landscape. A Tale Whose Echoes Shall Reverberate, As Others Take Notes, Crafting Their Symphony of Investment in the Years to Come.
In the Grand Play of Graduate Enchantment, Companies Unfurl Their Offerings Like Urban Sirens. Picture the Scene: Graduates, Youthful Dreamers Aged 25-35, A Vital Third of the Workforce, Emerging from Urban Ivory Towers. The Car Key Era Fades, Replaced by Concrete Jungles and Campus Life.
They Yearn Not for the Wilderness of Business Parks but for the Pulsing Heart of the City. Enter the Innovators, Visionaries Yearning to Gallop Forward. They Know the Secret: to Lure the Youthful Titans, the Lair Must Lie Amidst the Urban Tapestry. North and South, Alike, the Cry Resounds: Urban Abodes Beckon, a Nest for the Workforce’s Engine Room.
Out with the old, in with the new – the responsibility of design
In the Tapestry of Talent Attraction, Another Thread Emerges: Crafting Environments that Embrace Youthful Titans with Open Arms. The Architect’s Brush Paints Bold Strokes—Gone Are the Dull Whites, Replaced by Whimsical Colors and Designs That Turn Heads and Ignite Smiles. The Clinical Sterility, a Phantom of the Past, Gives Way to a Carnival of Curiosity. No More the Realm of Old White Coats and White Souls—Science Breaks Chains, Embracing Diversity, Whispers of Fun, and Echoes of Intrigue.
Behold the Guardians of Spaces, Specialist Landlords on a Noble Quest to Unveil the Unseen. Their Chant: Let Science Speak, Let Windows Be Portals, Open Plan Floors a Bridge to Accessibility. Once Fort Knox Fortresses Fade, for Science Deserves a New Stage, a Grand Reimagination in a Symphony of Design.
To Unleash the ‘Superpower’ Within, Our Path Must Brave the Uncharted Waters of Skill Shortages in a Raging Arena of Competition. The Anthem of Upskilling Echoes, a Melody of Transformation—Minds Reforged, Talents Polished. But Look Beyond, and You’ll See the Dance of Location, the Spell of Environment—Keys to Our Quest.
Amidst Industry’s Galloping Growth, Ignoring These is Not an Option. Our Journey Beckons, Guided by the Northern Star of Expansion, and Only by Embracing the Symphony of Upskilling, Redesign, and Revival, Can We Hope to Soar as the ‘Superpower’ We Aspire to Be.