Listen
Life sciences apprenticeships
10/04/2009
Details of a new Modern Apprenticeship Framework for Life Sciences have been announced.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Fiona Hyslop outlined details of the apprenticeship whilst attending the launch in China of the world's first commercially available multi-articulating bionic hand by a Scottish prosthetic company.
Ms Hyslop joined Touch Bionics and its Chinese distributor, ENJOYLIFE Prosthetics & Orthotics Co., for the official unveiling of the i-LIMB hand which represents a significant advance in the field of upper limb prosthetics and patient care.
The Cabinet Secretary said the Modern Apprenticeship Framework will help Scotland continue to be a world leader in the area of life sciences providing technicians for this growing sector.
Ms Hyslop said:
"The life science industry is one of Scotland's key economic sectors and will play an important part in contributing to our future economic recovery and positioning Scotland for future growth. This is clearly demonstrated by the Chinese launch of the world's most advanced upper limb prosthetic device, which will bring economic benefit to Scotland, as well as significantly improving the rehabilitation of Chinese patients.
"In March 2008, at the Touch Bionics Centre of Excellence in Livingston, I announced the proposals a new Life Science Modern Apprenticeship framework. Today, I can confirm that following extensive consultation with employers, SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for Science Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies in the UK, the detail of Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks at Level 2 and 3 has now been agreed. This will allow modern apprentices to take up an MA in Life Sciences in the new academic year from August 2009.
"The strength in life sciences in China and Scotland mean that there are exciting opportunities for collaboration and co-operation, which is, and will, bring benefits to both nations. The Scottish Government, like the Chinese Government views life sciences as one of the top priority sectors. It is one in which Scotland has already established international collaborations and we continue to look to China as a complementary partner in further developing our life sciences business."
The Life Sciences Modern Apprenticeship for Scotland will have a positive impact on Scottish recruitment, retention and upskilling within the Life Sciences Sectors. The MAs will:
- Attract younger people, from schools and colleges, into the sector
- Benefit those already working in the sector to acquire recognition, skills and qualifications
- Provide a route to market with provision which has been previously non-existent
- Engage a higher number of small to medium size employers who have previously failed to engage with training
Modern Apprenticeships
Modern Apprenticeships offer those of school leaving age and above, paid employment combined with the opportunity to train for jobs at craft, technician and management level.
Modern Apprenticeships are developed by Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs). SSBs consult with employers and key partners in their sector to produce a training programme, which meets the needs of employers.
In Scotland, there are more than 70 different Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks and they all contain the same 3 basic ingredients:
- S/NVQ
- Core Skills
- Industry specific training
The development and implementation of a Life Sciences Modern Apprenticeship for Scotland will have a positive impact on Scottish recruitment, retention and upskilling within the Life Sciences Sectors.
The MA Framework will be offered at Level 2 and 3
The Life Sciences Sector in Scotland
Scotland has a thriving Life Sciences Sector which consists of just over 500 organisations - of which approximately 10 per cent are academic .These organisations employ approximately 30,500 people across the entire main Life Sciences sector. These organisations contribute over £2.8 billion to the Scottish Economy annually, with a projected GVA growth rate of 8% which is four times the average rate for Scotland.
Scotland has internationally recognised capabilities across Life Sciences including:
- Drug discovery and development
- Contract Research
- Medical Technologies
- Stem Cell Research
- Specialised Biomanufacturing
- Bioinformatics
Scotland is home to one of the largest concentrations of Pharmaceutical support networks in Europe, with more than 40 organisations working on clinical and non-clinical research. Historically, Life Sciences Scotland has focussed mainly on the healthcare aspect but increasingly there are opportunities for the capacity and capability to be expanded to industrial, marine, plant, environmental and veterinary biotechnology.
Scotland also has a particularly strong reputation in the medical arena.
For example:
- Cancer and cardiovascular research
- Neuoroscience
- Genomics
- Proteomics and Bioinformatics
- Stem cell research and regenerative technology
- Virology and immunology
Scotland is also home to one of the largest concentrations of Pharmaceutical support networks in Europe, with more than 40 organisations engaged in clinical and non-clinical research.
Touch Bionics - background
Touch Bionics is a leading developer of advanced upper-limb prosthetics.
An initial SMART award from Scottish Enterprise got the company started, and it has now received investment funding from existing and new investors, including Archangel Informal Investments and the Scottish Co-investment Fund. In 2007, Touch Bionics brought to market the i-LIMB Hand, a first-to-market prosthetic device with five individually powered digits. The i-LIMB Hand, developed and brought to the market by Touch Bionics, is the world's first commercially available multi-articulating bionic hand, with five individually powered digits supporting amputees in going about their everyday lives.ProDigits, short for Prosthetic Digits, are the self-contained fingers that are individually powered and controlled to provide new fingers for partial hand patients. The i-LIMB Hand is effectively a chassis for five ProDigits. With over 20 years of research and development behind it, the i-LIMB Hand looks and acts like a real human hand and represents a generational advance in bionics (the replacement or enhancement of organs or other body parts by mechanical means) and patient care.
Since the launch, more than 500 patients worldwide have been fitted and Touch Bionics is rapidly expanding across the globe, with commercial fittings in over 30 countries.Touch Bionics is represented by ENJOYLIFE Prosthetics and Orthotics Co., Ltd in China. ENJOYLIFE Prosthetics and Orthotics was founded in 1998 and is now the biggest private company in the prosthetics and orthotic industry in China.