Welcome
Skills for our
21st Century workforces
UKSPA Chairman Dr David Hardman MBE looks at new jobs
for emerging markets, the technology skills gap, and how the
science park movement should respond…
A
s we manage the locations
that drive innovation, the pace
of new product and service
introductions is apparent
every day. The biggest
challenge to tech business growth is
access to talent. Also, as computers
become exponentially better at
understanding the world, software
will disrupt even the most traditional
industries, drastically changing the
nature and form of next-generation
jobs. So, the questions we should be
considering are what skills will be
required by our client companies, what
jobs will there actually be, and what
should the science park movement be
doing about it?
Around 65% of school children today
will do jobs that do not yet exist as
artificial intelligence replaces 50-80% of
traditional jobs. Such digital disruption
leads 75% of business leaders to believe
UKSPA
The United Kingdom Science
Park Association, Chesterford
Research Park, Little Chesterford,
Essex CB10 1XL
T: 01799 532050
[email protected]
ukspa.org.uk
that their sector will fundamentally
change by 2021. Cluster success depends
on a ready supply of appropriate skills
and expertise. A paucity of key skills
will negatively impact the survival of the
cluster. Companies requiring specific
skills will either struggle to grow, or will
move elsewhere to access the necessary
talent. If they move, then the local
economy will become impoverished
and we fail in our work.
R e i n v i g o r at i n g C i t i e s
This dynamic picture is not new. The
Industrial Revolution led to British
manufacturing clusters and the growth of
many of our cities. But, as old industries
were superseded or moved to other parts
of the globe, city economies stalled. Now,
new science and technical competencies
are having to be incorporated into the
mix to reinvigorate our cities and our
manufacturing base.
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From all that I have written as UKSPA
Chairman it is apparent that I believe we
all need to engage fully with our local
economies and become relevant to local
citizens. A logical way to do this is to for
science parks to aim to address the skills
gap and take an active role in developing
local talent pools. It is an opportunity for
those who manage sites of innovation to
work with the businesses located with us
to address enlightened corporate social
responsibilities and help create the
future skilled workforce. We should
shape and drive demand-led skills
initiatives, where businesses engage
directly in project-based learning to
build the workforce we will all depend
on in the 2020s and beyond. ■
All comments and feedback should be
forwarded to the UKSPA team:
[email protected]
Breakthrough is published on
behalf of UKSPA by Future Fusion,
a division of Future Publishing Ltd.
Registered office: Quay House,
The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA.
No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form without
the consent of UKSPA.
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