Pharmaceutical companies with Investors in People status appear more prepared to accept the costs associated with training employees with specialist skills, according to a study carried out for the Pharmaceutical Industry National Training Organisation (PhINTO).
But the survey shows achieving IIP itself presents barriers to small- and medium-sized enterprises. Among employers with more than 1,000 employees, the proportion with IIP status is above the national target.
The National Learning Targets are more comfortably met, reflecting the high skill base of the industry. Fifty-three per cent of industry employees have at least an NVQ level 4 (against a national target of 28 per cent), and this proportion is even higher among the small- to medium-sized establishments. Annual graduate recruitment is equivalent to more than 2 per cent of total staff numbers.
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One of the report’s recommendations is that PhINTO helps set up training standards and industry-wide occupational standards for areas highly specific to the pharmaceutical industry, such as regulatory affairs and patenting.
PhINTO executive Ian Irving said, “This report provides critical evidence for the industry’s skills development and planning. It confirms our assessments of the extent of the industry and provides the hard facts that enable us to focus on delivering the key skills for the future. Its recommendations will help us maintain a world-class industry at the heart of the UK economy.”
