Market Engagement Exercise – Life Sciences Apprentices Community

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), for the purposes of this early engagement notice acting through the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) in collaboration with InnovateUK, is conducting this Consultation to gather views on the use of apprenticeships in the Life Sciences sector specifically in terms of: 1. Role of apprentices in Life Sciences companies; 2.

Existing apprenticeship support for employers delivered by training providers and other organisations; and 3. Priority skills needs The Life Sciences Sector refers to biopharmaceutical and medical technology principal sectors.

Veterinary and industrial biotechnology businesses are not in scope. In addition to Questionnaire Responses (“Responses”), OLS is offering the opportunity for Contributors to attend a one-to-one online meeting with OLS and InnovateUK to discuss the issues raised by the Consultation in more depth (“Consultation Meetings”) and gather the views of Contributors.

Whilst it is OLS and InnovateUK’s intention to hold Consultation Meetings with all Contributors who express an interest in so meeting, appointments will be allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis. Organisations requesting a meeting will be asked to complete a brief survey to provide background to inform the Consultation Meeting.

No additional weight will be given to Responses received from Contributors attending a Consultation Meeting. The aim of the Consultation Meetings is to further discuss the Questionnaire.

Not least to allow Contributors to provide information on aspects of the questions and answers which are not easily communicated through the Questionnaire format. However, Contributors who are unable to attend a Consultation Meeting will be able to submit documents (alongside their answers to the Questionnaire) as part of their Response.

Please do not include general marketing information. Should you ask a question in respect of the Consultation and OLS believe that the answer to that question would be of benefit to all potential Contributors, then these questions and answers will be circulated to all individuals and organisations who have expressed an interest in the Consultation.

These questions and answers will also be published on the Contract Finder website. (Prior to publication (and in agreement with the Contributor), questions and answers will be anonymised, and any potentially confidential information removed).

Confidentiality and Data Protection Information provided in response to this consultation will be shared with InnovateUK. Information provided in response to this consultation, including any personal data, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with UK access to information laws, primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 If you wish any information you provide to be treated as confidential, please clearly indicate this in writing when you submit your response.

It would be helpful if you could explain why you consider the information confidential. While we will carefully consider your reasons, we cannot guarantee that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances, particularly if disclosure is required by law.

Please note that an automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not be regarded as a valid confidentiality request unless it is explicitly stated in your written response. PLEASE NOTE: THIS NOTICE IS FOR MARKET ENGAGEMENT ONLY. (tender/contract dates shown in this notice are projected, and an indicative guide only).