Twenty-four sixth-form students from Carmel College have
completed a brand-new skills programme that's designed to train
the life sciences workforce of the future.
The students were embedded for four months at award-winning St
Helens firm Inovus Medical, which designs and builds simulators
that are training surgeons across the world.
The company celebrated the end of the first cohort of the LCR
Ignite programme, funded through the Liverpool City Region
Innovation Zone.
Inovus Medical also unveiled its new training room called ERIC
(Education, Research Innovation Centre) which includes surgical
simulators operating on synthetic organs.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member
for Employment, Education and Skills Cllr Marion
Atkinson said:
“Giving local people the skills to benefit from job
opportunities created in the life sciences sector is a key part
of the Innovation Zone programme. Inovus is helping to ease a
worldwide shortage of surgeons and plug the city region's life
sciences skills gap.
“The LCR Ignite programme is a wonderful opportunity for
students to get amazing work experience using state-of-the-art
technology at a city region company that has global
reach.”
Inovus Medical was awarded £1m as part of the city region's Life
Sciences Innovation Zone Programme – which they matched – to set
up the innovative training scheme for young people across the
city region.
The skills programme enables 16-18 years olds to expand their
skillset, gain hands-on experience, and benefit from personalised
mentorship during a placement at Inovus – with opportunities
available in every department from engineering and product
development to sales, marketing, and finance.
The first cohort of 24 Year 12 pupils from Carmel College in St
Helens completed their training with a series of presentations
and an awards ceremony last month.
The programme is set to be extended to six more sites across the
city region with a hub in each local authority area providing
career opportunities and practical experience for young
people.
Founded in 2012 by combining the talents of Dr Elliot Street and
engineer Jordan Van Flute, Inovus Medical creates accessible and
affordable simulators for surgical training and has a strong
track record of training local apprentices.
Headquartered at St Helens Manufacturing and Innovation Campus
and with a US HQ in Florida, the company exports its technology
to more than 80 countries – helping solve a global surgeon
shortage and ultimately saving lives.
Dr Elliot Street, CEO of Inovus Medical, said:
“Working to solve the global surgeon shortage and ultimately
save lives is the driving force behind Inovus Medical and ERIC.
This new educational institution will not only bring trainee
surgeons from all over the world to the LCR but will also allow
them to maximise their training time through our affordable,
accessible intensive courses that combine surgical simulation
with expert-led education.”
The LCR Innovation Zone Programme is expected to create 8,000 new
jobs and attract up to £800m investment to the Liverpool City
Region over the next 10 years.
The Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone
Programme (LCR Innovation Zone Programme) is part of the
Government's national Investment Zone Programme.
