Skilling the workforce
TeenTech – Inspiring the Scientists and Engineers of the Future
On 30th August, the Skills Team (with Kim from BE and Anjitha, one of our graduating MSc students) participated in the first-ever Scottish TeenTech Festival. Brainchild of TV presenter Maggie Philbin, TeenTech aims to inspire young teenagers and their teachers about the world of Science, Engineering and Technology. It was held in the Strathclyde Union, so there was no excuse for us not to be there. Armed with our table of biobased consumer items, we set off to face the 300 pupils from across Scotland. The day was a whirlwind of excitement, discussion and challenge! Alongside the great conversations we had with the schools, it was great for us to meet with the other exhibitors (we were next to the very expensive robot dog from Deloitte…). Feedback from the day told us 100% of the pupils had found the day inspiring and enjoyed interacting with industry experts. The highlight (apart from the engagement with our scientists of the future) was meeting the wonderful Maggie – who has since agreed to be our Keynote speaker at IBioIC24!
Retain and Inspire
The HND Retain and Inspire programme at Glasgow Clyde College has had a busy start to the year. So far, the students have heard from Cait Murray-Green (Strategic Scientific Consulting), Aimee Brown (MiAlgae), Wendy Berriman, (FixedPhage – now Nexabiome) and Allan Dale from Merck. It was great to see two of our former MSc students (Aimee and Mark) come back to share their wisdom with our current cohort. We have some great talks lined up to finish the year – Morag Garden from English Whisky and Leigh Cassidy from SEM Energy. The students have also undertaken STEM Ambassador training and had a fabulous visit to the MiAlgae production plant at Balfron. We are always looking for speakers and companies to host visits – please get in touch with Kirsty Robb through the skills email (skills@ibioic.com) if you are interested.
MSc Programme Keeps on Rolling
We have just completed the transition from one academic year to another, with the MSc programme remaining a cornerstone of our skills offering. Last years cohort achieved an astounding 6 distinctions and 10 merits!!!!! The majority are now in employment or have started PhD programmes – and we love seeing their successes pop up on social media. Many of the students are retained by their industrial placement company. We have a smaller cohort this year and are now actively looking for placement projects for them. Stephen will be emailing our contact list, but please don’t wait for him to get in touch! If you would like to support a 10-week placement (some payment / reimbursement of travel costs is appreciated but not essential), please let us know at skills@ibioic.com. Placements run from May to August and are a great way for you to assess the potential employability of our wonderful students. In the meantime, the students are getting their heads down and learning all you need to know about the biotechnology industry!
PhD and our Collaborative Training Programme
We welcomed two students to the PhD programme this October and congratulate all of the students who have recently submitted their thesis or passed their viva. We can’t wait to see all that you achieve! Our training programme is up and running for the year. Designed in partnership with the student reps, we think there is a diverse and exciting programme of events coming up. The year started with induction and STEM Ambassador training, followed by a session on Working with Industry, led by Mary, the Skills Programme Manager.
November sees the launch of our Business Simulation training (more about this later) and a session on IP and Patents from Sara Holland and Helen Bartlett from Potter Clarkson. Stephen Smith from the University of Strathclyde also delivered an engaging CV and Interview Masterclass. Coming up, we will welcome Laurie McPherson to walk the students through how to best market themselves, using platforms like LinkedIn, to maximise their success in the jobs market.
There’s lots more to come next year, including working with different media to present your research, unpicking imposter syndrome, design of experiment and engineering for biotechnology. And of course, not forgetting our annual student symposium, to be held just before the 10th Anniversary conference. We will be hosting a ceilidh on the night of 12th March – and may have some spaces available if you are in Glasgow early.
Our training programme is available on-line and we are happy to accommodate industry members at certain training events. Please get in touch!
New Training Platform Available!
In November, the Skills Team will launch our Biotechnology Business Startup Simulation (we need a better name! Answers on a postcard…) Designed in partnership with the business engagement team and developed by Business Smart, the platform takes teams through the development and growth of a business based on products made from mycelium. Participants gain an understanding of finance, marketing, business analytics and pitching through three business models (direct sales, solutions supply and licencing). The training can be delivered in person (over two days) or online (over a week) and is a great way to build and explore team dynamics alongside developing transferable business skills. The whole IBioIC team took part in an alpha test of the platform and to say they were competitive would be an understatement! If you are interested in booking a session, please reach out to Mary.
What’s Coming Up
We will soon be launching a skills programme alumni network following interest from our graduating students. After 10 years of running formal training programmes, we have an amazing network of former students, who are looking to support our current cohorts. This will be mainly delivered through a LinkedIn group (contact us if you haven’t been added) but we are hoping to host some in-person events and maybe webinars to showcase the talent of our alumni. We are also planning to get our formal mentoring network up and running in the New Year. If you’d like to lend a supportive ear / access to a wider network to those just starting their career, please drop us a line (skills@ibioic.com).