Industry Skills Accelerator celebrates successful first year

Members of the Industry Skills Accelerator (ISA) have celebrated a successful year of strengthening the UK’s medicines manufacturing workforce.

Launched in August 2024 and funded by Innovate UK, the ISA is a national initiative delivered through a partnership between Cogent Skills, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult), and CPI (part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult).

Focused on advanced therapies and complex medicines – including cell, gene, vaccines, biologics, and other high-potential modalities such as mRNA and Oligonucleotides - the ISA is building targeted training solutions to meet the evolving needs of this dynamic sector.

Key industry stakeholders and leading education providers have developed apprenticeship pathways and specialist training programmes – including a new route in complex medicines such as mRNA and Oligonucleotides, ensuring the workforce has the skills for future growth.

CPI

CPI is developing three specialist training courses through the Industry Skills Accelerator, launching in the coming months: RNA Therapeutics – Sequence and Construct Design; Introduction to Oligonucleotides; and Oligonucleotide Synthesis and Purification: Lab to Manufacturing Scale.

These programmes will expand the RNA Training Academy's offer and mark CPI’s first oligonucleotide skills training courses, addressing critical gaps in the talent pipeline for this high-growth area.

This is also aligned to the vision of CPI’s Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence, a new, specialist facility currently under construction that will support end-to-end oligonucleotide development and manufacturing. As part of the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, the courses will support the sector’s ability to scale up complex medicines by aligning practical training with evolving industry needs.

Technical Director at CPI’s Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, Barrie Cassey, said:

Through the ISA, we’re equipping the next generation of RNA and oligonucleotide experts with the practical skills needed to bring advanced medicines to patients.

CGT Catapult

Through its leadership of the Advanced Therapies Apprenticeship Community (ATAC), CGT Catapult supports a UK-wide network of training providers and employers.

Based on insights from the 2023 Skills Demand Survey and 2025 Workforce Foresighting research, the organisation has worked over the last six months to identify urgent skills gaps across manufacturing, quality, digital and automation.

The strength of this programme lies in its collaboration – combining insight from across industry, training partners and government to build a workforce ready for the future of therapeutics.

CGTC Project Support Officer – ATAC, Joe Camden, said:

It’s great that the ATAC forms such an integral part of the Industry Skills Accelerator. Through developing effective partnerships with select training providers we are now in a fantastic position to make a real impact on our sector through upskilling our workforce using apprenticeships.

Cogent Skills

Head of Skills – Life Sciences at Cogent Skills, Fay Treloar, said:

I’m so pleased to see how successful the collaboration through the ISA has proved to be. We’re already seeing the positive impact this initiative is having for the employers involved and I’m confident this is just the start of a productive partnership which benefits our wider workforce.