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Developing Technician Skills for Innovative Industries: Theory, Evidence from the UK Life Sciences Industry, and Policy Implications

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  • Paul Lewis

Abstract

This article explores how innovative firms attempt to acquire the skilled technicians needed to deploy new technologies. Interviews with 40 employers from the UK life sciences sector reveal that shortages of technicians, an awareness of the importance of practical skills best acquired through work‐based learning, and increasing dissatisfaction with the use of graduates, are encouraging employers to turn towards apprenticeship training. However, the rules governing the funding of various kinds of education and training discourage providers from offering the kinds of apprenticeships increasingly sought by employers, giving rise to a ‘system failure’ that manifests itself in shortages of technicians and the use of over‐qualified graduates in technician roles.

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  • Paul Lewis, 2020. "Developing Technician Skills for Innovative Industries: Theory, Evidence from the UK Life Sciences Industry, and Policy Implications," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(3), pages 617-643, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:58:y:2020:i:3:p:617-643
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12532
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    Cited by:

    1. Uschi Backes-Gellner & Patrick Lehnert, 2021. "The Contribution of Vocational Education and Training to Innovation and Growth," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0177, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    2. Florencia Jaccoud & Fabien Petit & Tommaso Ciarli & Maria Savona, 2024. "Automation and Employment over the Technology Life Cycle: Evidence from European Regions," CESifo Working Paper Series 10987, CESifo.
    3. Paul Lewis, 2021. "Entrepreneurship, novel combinations, capital regrouping, and the structure-agency relationship: an introduction to the special issue on innovation and Austrian economics," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 1-12, March.
    4. Backes-Gellner Uschi & Lehnert Patrick, 2023. "Berufliche Bildung als Innovationstreiber: Ein lange vernachlässigtes Forschungsfeld," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 24(1), pages 85-97, April.
    5. Damian Grimshaw & Marcela Miozzo, 2021. "Human Capital and productivity: a call for new interdisciplinary research," Working Papers 006, The Productivity Institute.
    6. Paul Lewis, 2021. "The innovation systems approach: an Austrian and Ostromian perspective," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 97-114, March.
    7. Chiara Benassi & Niccolo Durazzi & Johann Fortwengel, 2022. "Comparative institutional disadvantage: Small firms and vocational training in the British manufacturing sector in comparative perspective," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 60(2), pages 371-390, June.

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