Empowering the Future of UK Medicines Manufacturing: Skills at the Heart of Sector Growth
29 July 2025
Last week the UK’s life sciences sector was recognised as one of our most powerful national assets in terms of saving lives, creating jobs, driving investment and powering innovation. Publication of the multi-departmental Life Sciences Sector Plan marks a critical moment for the sector, offering renewed commitment to ensuring the UK remains a global leader in health and pharmaceutical innovation.
Why skills matter now more than ever
As the skills centre of excellence for the UK medicines manufacturing sector, RESILIENCE welcomes governments recognition that building and sustaining the skills and talent base is essential for success. We know that medicines manufacturing is a highly technical, fast-evolving field that depends on people trained not only in scientific disciplines, but an increasingly interdisciplinary workforce at the forefront of advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and AI-driven innovation.
While the UK has a world class education and skills ecosystem, the sector plan aims to:
Support learners and employers to make informed skills choices
Drive up employer engagement in skills and training, and
Strengthen the UKs position in attracting world-class international talent
Importantly, these efforts are not pursued in isolation. The plan commits to embedding diversity and inclusion across all government actions – a vital recognition that a diverse, equitable workforce is a key driver of innovation and long-term economic resilience.
What is RESILIENCE doing – and why does it matter?
At RESILIENCE, ED&I is not a side note – it’s a central pillar of everything we deliver. We understand that inclusion is fundamental to building a resilient workforce and thriving talent funnel. Whether it’s through targeted outreach, development of specialist educational materials, accessible industry training and diverse leadership accelerators, we’re opening doors for new and existing talent across the country.
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We offer specialist training in areas flagged as high-priority in the Sector Plan, including:
Core GMP and regulatory standards
Advanced analytics for process optimisation
AI and contextual intelligence in the manufacturing environment
Digital infrastructure and automation
Sustainable manufacturing practices
Customised programmes for companies who require bespoke, in-house training provision
Our programmes are co-designed with industry and respond directly to feedback and fore-sighting from across the medicines manufacturing value chain. This ensures what we deliver is always aligned with what employers truly need.
A Call to Action
The message is straightforward: industry and educators must partner for impact.
The UK cannot afford to waste the momentum that the Sector Plan provides. Our call to actions goes out:
To employers: Now is the time to step forward — join the RESILIENCE community through membership to co-create material, address workforce development and share your skills needs so we can respond with speed and precision.
To educators and providers: Align your curricula with sector needs. The era of siloed academic and technical education is over — interdisciplinary, industry-relevant learning is the future, and RESILIENCE has the material to support you.
To government and stakeholders: Continue supporting initiatives like RESILIENCE, and ensure funding flows into practical, scalable, inclusive training programmes that are anchored in the real needs of UK industry.
