Medtech grants available for HC Skills courses

GRANTS covering up to 50 per cent of the cost of medical technology skills training programmes are available as a result of a tie-up between HC Skills International and Medilink UK.

Medilink operate a national network of partners working to improve innovation and technology transfer in the UK healthcare sector.

The partnership agreement has been secured as part of a new Science Industry Partnership agreement which has received UK Government approval and which aims to improve learning outcomes for those working in the MedTech sector.

The SIP body behind the agreement – a new consortium of around 100 leading science sector employers – also strives to increase levels of recruitment into science industries in the United Kingdom and drive the sector forward as a major employer.

The approval for the creation of a new employer-led SIP came after an Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot was registered by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and submitted to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) in summer 2014.

The then University and Science Minister David Willetts said: “The science based industries are critical to our future prosperity – and higher skills are the key driver of their competitiveness. Our investment will help the industry to take the lead investing in the skills they need.”

The new partnership, led by GlaxoSmithKline, will design the vocational training and skills programmes that the life sciences, chemicals and industrial science sectors need to thrive and compete in the global economy.

The partnership will deliver:

• 1360 apprenticeships: based on a new, simple employer-owned system delivering work-ready apprentices
• 240 traineeships: a new work experience programme for young people pursuing science- based careers
• 150 Industry Degrees: a radical new approach to graduate development, focused on employer skills needs and graduate employability
• 230 Modular Masters Modules: a new modular route to deliver high tech post-graduate skills in the workplace
• 5900 workforce development opportunities: increasing technical and management capability of the workforce
• STEM careers: a cross-sectoral proposal to attract young people into STEM jobs

Cogent, the expert skills body for the science industries, who are facilitating the SIP, are identifying employer demand for the skills programmes.

Almost 6000 individuals will take accredited workforce development courses specifically aimed at supporting growth and increasing individual competency.

Funding offers a 50 per cent government grant. The programme will be procured from accredited training providers, and programme managed and quality assured by Cogent, using £5,550,812 of EOP grant funding and £7,680,370 of employer cash investment.

For further information and to find out if you qualify for a grant contribution to fees for any HC Skills courses, contact jane@healthcareskills.com or bev@medilinkem.com or mpd@medilink.com