Enginuity x CGT Catapult: Career Converter impact report

The challenge:

The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the urgent need for both the UK and Global industry to grow quickly and adapt to contribute to a national priority. As the UK’s advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing sector rapidly expanded, employers faced growing difficulties in filling highly specialised roles to keep pace with the pipeline of work.

At the same time, many skilled workers in adjacent industries had the potential to transition into these roles, but lacked clear pathways, visibility of opportunities, or an understanding of how their existing skills could be applied in this new context.

The industry needed an innovative solution to bridge this skills gap, support workforce mobility, and help individuals from other sectors identify viable career pathways into advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing.

Previous sector reports produced by Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Catapult highlighted the critical need for skills within the industry. The 2021 report predicted growth of the industry by an expected 117% by 2026, to over 8,100 roles. But this ambitious growth would have meant employers needed to look further afield for talent.

• 95% of companies planned to increase their headcount by 2026
• 98% of respondents expressed concern about recruitment and retention of people.

(from the 2021 CGT Catapult Skills Demand Report)

The growth of the industry into 2023 exceeded expectations – the 2019 survey forecasted a headcount of 2,175 for bioprocessing roles in 2024, but the actual 2023 headcount was 3,544. This highlights the importance of continuing to develop and guide talent into these roles as demand grows higher than initially anticipated.

Like some other sectors in search of fresh talent, something was needed to broaden recruiters’ horizons. Traditionally, this sector has relied on apprentices, graduates, and professionals already working within the industry to fill vacancies – the 2021 survey showed that respondents expected workers already within the industry would fill 37% of roles available in the following five-year period. (In the 2019 report the figure was 60%, but the question didn’t take into account workers outside the industry.)

Elsewhere in engineering, it’s common for skilled workers to cross into adjacent disciplines. So how could the advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing industry follow suit?

The solution:

The CGT Catapult specified 16 job roles within the industry where demand is high. This data formed the backbone of the Career Converter tool, a co-development of Enginuity and CGT Catapult. Roles under the microscope included:

• Validation Engineer
• Quality Control Analytical Scientist
• Distribution Controller
• Good Manufacturing Practice Technician
• Process Development Scientist.

Career Converter was one of several applications built on the Enginuity Skills Framework – a comprehensive database combining up-to-date information on the labour market with a bespoke breakdown of skills and knowledge shared across various roles within the wider engineering and manufacturing industry.

The tool enabled users to assess their suitability for roles, by measuring their transferable skills against the job requirements of each. Users would simply enter the details of any relevant skills and experience from the CV, and the tool would identify which aspects of users’ job history made them a suitable candidate for each role, and where there may have been a skills gap. Career Converter then signposted users to the appropriate resources and training solutions available for building their skills and knowledge. The team behind the tool used machine learning to create a skills-matching methodology that identified essential skills, behaviours, and knowledge for these critically under-resourced positions.

From CGT Catapult’s methodical research, and Enginuity’s data-mining skills, the Career Converter illustrated the need for organisations to assess and adapt their skills base to meet the emerging needs of the industry.

The impact:

While the Career Converter tool has now been retired due to a lack of continued funding, we remain incredibly proud of the impact it made in supporting workforce mobility and addressing critical skills gaps in the sector.

Since its launch in December 2020, 1,088 users received guidance on their skillset from the Career Converter tool, with 317 engaging in 2024.

It signals the growing interest from individuals as they look to transition into the advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing sector. The strong engagement also highlights the tool’s effectiveness in connecting people with high-demand roles and addressing critical skills shortages.

Career Converter has given users the opportunity to re-examine their skills base and uncover opportunities they may not have been aware of before. The tool highlighted their transferable skills and applied them to the job specifications of roles currently in demand in advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing. It also displayed information about additional skills and training available to successfully switch to a role within the sector.

Our world is evolving rapidly. Careers that begin in one industry may very well conclude in another by the time of retirement. Enginuity remains committed to helping the engineering sector not only understand the skills needed today but also prepare for future challenges — from digitisation and net zero, to the evolving nature of work itself.

The success and competitiveness of businesses depend on their greatest asset: people. Without proactive planning and innovative approaches to skills development, we risk falling behind and missing opportunities that drive both economic growth and inclusive progress.

You can still access Enginuity’s Skills Comparator and Role Explorer — two free tools that continue to support skills development and career transitions:

• Skills Comparator helps individuals and employers understand how existing skills align across various job roles, identifying transferable skills and gaps for development.
• Role Explorer offers a detailed view of engineering-related occupations, breaking down the tasks, behaviours, and qualifications associated with each role to support informed career decisions and workforce planning.

Stephen Stewart, Head of Skills Delivery at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult: “The pandemic underlined the urgent need for an industry that could grow quickly and stay flexible to meet the needs of healthcare providers around the world. Our sector reports predict that the growth is already underway – and with the Career Converter tool, we’ve played our part in ensuring it can continue.”

Nicola Dolan, Project Lead, Head of Charity Operations at Enginuity: “This tool has laid the groundwork for individuals outside traditional talent pipelines to access opportunities within the sector, helping companies to fill critical skill vacancies. We believe Career Converter has helped sustain and support the growth of the UK’s advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing sector.”

About Us:

The charity focused on closing the skills gaps in engineering and manufacturing. Enginuity strives to ensure the UK’s engineering and manufacturing sector has people with the right skills, at the right time, to address societal challenges now and in the future.

About our partners:

About the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult is an independent innovation and technology organisation committed to the advancement of the cell and gene therapy industry with a vision of a thriving industry delivering life changing advanced therapies to the world. Its aim is to create powerful collaborations which overcome challenges to the advancement of the sector. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult works was established by, and works with, Innovate UK. 

For more information, please visit:

Innovate UK - UKRI 

https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk/ 

Advancing cell and gene therapies through powerful collaborations - Cell and Gene Therapy

 https://ct.catapult.org.uk/

The Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network (ATSTN) is now Life Sciences Learner Hub. The Life Sciences Learner Hub is a digital platform that provides tailored training and development resources for individuals and employers in the life sciences sector, especially in advanced therapies and biomanufacturing. It offers expert-led courses, immersive learning tools, and career pathways to support workforce growth and skills development. 

For more information, please visit:

Life Sciences Learner Hub | AT Skills Training Network 

https://www.atskillstrainingnetwork.org.uk/life-sciences-learner-hub/