The Campaign for Science and Engineering’s (CaSE’s) latest report
looks at the skills needs of a more innovative and research
intensive UK. ‘The Skills Opportunity: Building a more
innovative UK’, calls for government to coordinate and
support an integrated skills system.
The ambition to make the UK a more research and innovation
intensive economy has been a long-standing commitment across
successive UK Governments. But this commitment can’t be kept
without an ambitious people strategy to match. The UK Government
and devolved administrations must coordinate and support an
integrated skills system to deliver a more innovative and
research intensive UK.
To support the UK’s current and future skills needs, we are
calling for:
- Better understanding of skills gaps and needs.
- The provision of incentives and support for employers and
individuals.
- Support for local talent and innovation.
- Building an immigration system that attracts international
talent.
During the project leading up to this report, CaSE conducted a
series of roundtables which explored specific areas of skills
provision where there are bottlenecks and pinch points that need
unblocking. The work also drew together important work done by
other stakeholders in the sector with the aim of identifying
challenges and propose solutions across the whole skills
landscape.
Commenting on the report:
Professor Sarah Main, Executive Director, Campaign for
Science and Engineering (CaSE):
“To meet the UK Government’s ambition to become a ‘Science
Superpower’ the UK must embrace and enhance skills across the
economy. The Government must coordinate and support an integrated
skills system, from technical education and apprenticeships, to
upskilling and reskilling in the workplace, to unlock skills for
a more innovative UK. This report makes recommendations for
government that will help businesses in the midst of technology
transitions, education and careers advice providers, and
individuals looking for opportunities in a more innovative UK.”
Dr Daniel Rathbone, Deputy Executive Director, Campaign
for Science and Engineering (CaSE):
“Ambitions for a more research intensive UK can only be met if
the UK utilises the talented and skilled people we already have,
attracts international talent and builds a pipeline of future
skills. In particular, small innovative businesses need greater
support and incentives to provide workplace training and to
navigate the immigration system. It’s also crucial that high
quality STEM education in schools builds science literacy across
society so that everyone can benefit from greater research
intensity.”
Report Authors
Dr Daniel Rathbone, CaSE
Deputy Executive Director
Dr Camilla d’Angelo, CaSE
Policy Officer
More about the project
As part of this work, we have conducted a series of roundtables
with stakeholders across the research and innovation landscape to
explore different areas of skills provision, you can read
writeups of some of the meetings here:
Acknowledgements
The views and recommendations expressed within the report are
those of the Campaign for Science and Engineering and inclusion
on this list does not imply endorsement for the contents of the
report.
The work was supported by an Advisory Group of the following
individuals:
- Beatrice Barleon, EngineeringUK
- Daniel Sandford-Smith, Gatsby Foundation
- Elizabeth Chamberlain, Institute of Physics
- Lisa Morrison-Coulthard, National Foundation for Education
Research
- Thomas Frostick, Royal Society
- Amanda Dickins, STEM Learning
We are grateful to the following organisations who have supported
roundtables with CaSE for this work:
- Diamond Light Source
- The Gatsby Foundation
- Glasgow Science Centre
- The Open University
- Vialto Partners
We are also grateful to all the organisations who have
contributed to this work over the course of the project.
