Cogent SSC and the Society of Biology publish MOU on skills and education
Cogent, the Sector Skills Council for the science-based industries, and the Society of Biology (SB) have set out their joined-up approach to the implementation of the initiatives arising from Cogent’s Skills Action Plan for Growth in the UK Life Sciences.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sets out the areas of joint working where it is imperative the two organisations work in a complementary manner. It also avoids any potential duplication and ensures full deployment of the Society’s extensive resources around careers and professional development.
Cogent CEO,Joanna Woolfsaid: “I’m delighted that our two organisations have set out this agreement. The Action Plan is aimed at ensuring life sciences employers have ready access to the skilled individuals they need to develop new ideas into products. The Society of Biology has a key role to play in this, particularly in relation to its wide array of Continuing Professional Development activities.”
Mark Downs, CEO of the Society of Biology added: “the life sciences are critical to our future economic growth and social well-being. We need to urgently address skills gaps in the biological sciences to ensure there continues to be a flow of talented people with the right skills to support the sector to maintain its world leading position. We are delighted to be working with Cogent on the critical areas of pharma and biotech.”
The Skills Action plan represents a framework through which employers and educators can ensure the skills system is fit to meet the Life Science Sector’s challenge for the future. The Cogent Life Sciences Advisory Council (LAC) is playing a key role in this, and representatives from the Society of Biology are important members of this body. The MOU takes this a step further, and in particular will see the two organisations’s working jointly on:
Life Science Apprenticeships: Cogent will seek to expand the current Higher Apprenticeship and the views of SB will be crucial in identifying appropriate specialisms for this expansion.
Degree Accreditation: Cogent will continue to provide support for the SB Degree Accreditation programme. Cogent will also explore with SB the accreditation of work-based Foundation Degrees (which form a key component of the Higher Level Apprenticeship in Life Science).
Professional Registrations: SB will work closely with The Science Council/Gatsby in the pilot Life Sciences Professional Registrations scheme. Cogent will work with SB to ensure that qualifications obtained during the Higher Level Apprenticeship programme map to Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) and Registered Scientist (RSci) qualifications.
Employability Kitemarking of Degree Programmes: Government departments and life science employers have expressed interest in a kitemark for degree programmes that provides a measure of graduate employability. Cogent will work with employers to establish an approach to employability kitemarking that complements SB’s approach to degree accreditation.
Career and Training Pathways: Cogent will collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including SB, to create a Career and Training Pathways for the Life Sciences sector that will cater for the needs of prospective students, employees and employers. SB will work closely with Cogent to ensure that SB’s Careers resources are captured in this new facility.
Secondment of Cogent staff to SB: Cogent and SB will review the opportunity to second a Cogent member of staff to SB.
The Skills Action Plan can be found here http://bit.ly/q5ya8d
David Cameron’s speech on life sciences can be found here: http://bit.ly/t9OXzK
ENDS
Press enquiries
Please contact Matthew Lowe, matthew.lowe@cogent-ssc.com / 01925 515205.
About Cogent
Cogent is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Petroleum and Polymer Industries. We are licensed by Government to help employers in these science-using industries to address their workforce development needs so that they can compete successfully.
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