10,000 jobs boost for life sciences sector in region - report

Greater Birmingham's growing life sciences sector is paving the way for thousands of jobs over the next decade, a skills report published this week shows.

Produced by employer-led local skills group The Science Industry Partnership (SIP) West Midlands, together with Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), the Life Science Skills Report reveals that the sector employs 17,320 in the West Midlands and contributes £6.49bn to the UK economy.

The report has also revealed that nearly 10,000 new and replacement jobs in teh sector will be needed by 2030.

Against this backdrop of anticipated future demand for STEM skills, employer led skills group SIP West Midlands promises to bring together businesses, skills providers and key local stakeholders to identify and resolve skills challenges and make recommendations for change.

Tim Pile, chair of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership commented: “We view the whole life sciences and in particular data driven health and medical technologies as a high growth area and a driver for inclusive economic growth. We 're working with our partners in the NHS, businesses, local authorities, and academic institutions to elevate the fantastic, life-changing work that is being carried out right across our region.

"At GBSLEP we 're making significant investments in Life Sciences, including the financing of the Precision Health Technology Accelerator (PHTA) located on the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus. Critical to the success of these assets will be a future workforce that has the right skills to meet the needs of employers and SIP West Midlands will play an important role in making this happen. ”