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Strategic Skills Needs in the Bio-medical Sector – Executive Summary


evidence report 14 executive summaryThis report provides an assessment of the skills needs in the bio-medical sector. For the purpose of this report the sector has been defined as the combination of the pharmaceutical, medical biotechnology, and medical technologies sectors; in other words, those industries which produce the drugs, therapies, and equipment for the health care system in the UK and abroad. The study is part of a wider exercise designed to contribute towards the UK Commission’s overall response to strategic skills, the National Strategic Skills Audit for England 2010.

Strategic Skills Needs in the Bio-medical Sector – Executive Summary (PDF, 157 Kb) 
Published March 2010

This report provides an assessment of the skills needs in the bio-medical sector. For the purpose of this report the sector has been defined as the combination of the pharmaceutical, medical biotechnology, and medical technologies sectors; in other words, those industries which produce the drugs, therapies, and equipment for the health care system in the UK and abroad. The study is part of a wider exercise designed to contribute towards the UK Commission’s overall response to strategic skills, the National Strategic Skills Audit for England 2010.

The bio-medical sector was selected for specific analysis due to its importance for the national economy with respect to output and employment. It is also a principal constituent of the knowledge economy, with the pharmaceutical sector not only being the largest investor in R&D in the country, but also at the forefront of global developments to bring about a major transformation in the treatment of illness in the 21st Century.

To assess the sector’s future skills needs the report draws on a review of literature and available statistics, analysis of economic forecasts, and interviews with key stakeholders.