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Case Study

Future Skills Needs for Life and Chemical Sciences

Scotland’s Life Sciences and Chemical Sciences sectors are strategically important to the national economy, contributing around £7.3 billion in combined Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2025 and supporting over 31,000 jobs. While the Life Sciences workforce is projected to grow by 14% between 2025 and 2035, Chemical Sciences is undergoing structural change, particularly linked to Grangemouth, and is projected to remain the same. Against this backdrop, our report examines how skills demand is evolving in response to policy, technological change, and global market trends.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

This study was commissioned by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) as an update to their 2022 report “Growth Opportunities and Skills Requirements for the Life and Chemical Sciences Sectors”, reflecting substantial changes since then.

These include new Scottish and UK government strategies for life sciences, innovation, net zero and advanced manufacturing, operational closures and restructuring at Grangemouth affecting the chemical sciences workforce, rapid adoption of digitalisation, data and AI across both sectors, major infrastructure and investment developments, including innovation centres, freeports and regional growth deals.

Together, these developments have reshaped skills demand, workforce structures and training requirements.

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

Identify Scottish, UK and global strategies that are likely to influence workforce demand
Assess future growth opportunities and skills needs over the next 5-10 years
Identify skills gaps, shortages and labour supply challenges
Review the effectiveness of the current skills pipeline, from schools to lifelong learning
Develop evidence based recommendations to strengthen skills provision and workforce readiness

Identify Scottish, UK and global strategies that are likely to influence workforce demand
Assess future growth opportunities and skills needs over the next 5-10 years
Identify skills gaps, shortages and labour supply challenges
Review the effectiveness of the current skills pipeline, from schools to lifelong learning

Develop evidence based recommendations to strengthen skills provision and workforce readiness


OUR APPROACH

The study combined desk-based research with extensive stakeholder engagement. This included:

  • Review of policies, strategies, labour market intelligence and skills provision across Scotland’s Further and Higher Education establishments
  • Analysis of workforce size, occupation profiles, and qualification outcomes
  • Interviews with 25 organisations across industry, Further and Higher Education, and public bodies
  • Stakeholder survey responses to validate findings and capture employer perspectives

This mixed-method approach ensured that quantitative labour market data was grounded in real‑world industry experience.

DELIVERY TEAM

Mark Morrison
Senior Consultant
About>
Jolanta Beinaroviča
Senior Consultant
About>
Hayley Welsh
Director & Senior Consultant
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OUTPUTS AND IMPACTS

Our analysis identified several consistent and cross‑cutting findings:

  • Digital, data and AI skills are the most critical current and future requirement, particularly in Life Sciences, where over half the workforce already operates in digital practitioner roles
  • Persistent shortages of technicians, engineers and mid‑career specialists, especially in QA/QC, regulatory affairs, bioprocessing and automation
  • Growing demand for interdisciplinary skills, blending science, engineering, digital and regulatory expertise
  • Concerns regarding work‑readiness of new entrants, with gaps in practical, laboratory, mathematical and meta‑skills
  • Declining enrolments in chemistry and technician-level pathways, alongside employer difficulty in retaining skilled graduates in Scotland
  • Strong reliance on CPD, modular learning and apprenticeships to upskill and reskill the existing workforce

These pressures have intensified as a result of competition for talent from other sectors and regions.

The full report is available to download from the SDS website here.

Without concerted action, skills shortages risk constraining sector growth, investment and innovation at a pivotal moment of transformation.

Get in touch if you want to discuss the future competitiveness of Scotland’s Life Sciences and Chemical Sciences sectors.

“The Life and Chemical Sciences Future Skills Needs research is critical in helping us understand how the sector is evolving and what that means for the skills pipeline. By combining industry insight with labour market evidence, it gives us a clear, shared evidence base to inform provision planning, target investment, and ensure people are developing the right skills to support future growth in Scotland’s life and chemical sciences sectors.”

Sarah Hunt (Key Sector Manager, Life and Chemical Sciences)
Skills Development Scoltand

Mark Morrison

Senior Consultant

I’m Mark, a Senior Consultant at Optimat. I specialise in life sciences and sustainability, working closely with clients to help them understand new technology and market opportunities as well as workforce skills requirements to enable these to become reality.

I’ve been with Optimat since 2015 and worked with a range of public sector clients to deliver insightful market and sector analyses in subject areas including synthetic biology, chemical manufacturing, carbon capture utilisation and storage, medical devices, decarbonised transport, and renewable energy. I’ve also supported private sector clients to secure grant funding from Scottish, UK and European agencies, and have coordinated a number of European Commission funded projects.

Before joining Optimat I was the CEO of the Institute of Nanotechnology, a not-for-profit organisation that was instrumental in raising the profile and opportunities in nanotechnology for UK and European businesses. This provided me with first-hand experience of engaging and collaborating with a range of stakeholders in private, public and third sector organisations across Europe.

I hold a BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology from the University of Glasgow and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Manchester.

Jolanta Beinaroviča

Senior Consultant

I’m Jolanta, a Senior Consultant at Optimat, where I specialise in the life sciences sector, including pharmaceuticals, industrial biotechnology, medical technology, and digital health. Iam particularly interested in how these fields are shaped and enabled by emerging technologies.

My work focuses on supporting clients across industry and public sector to make informed, strategic decisions. I am passionate about techno-market research and forecasting, and I draw on a strong foundation in science and technology to help clients identify opportunities and build a competitive advantage to deliver economic and societal benefits.

Since joining Optimat in 2022, I have contributed to a wide range of projects, including targeted market research studies, industrial sector profiling, capability audits, commercial opportunity mapping, commercialisation planning, and skills and workforce forecasting. I also have significant experience in due diligence, having evaluated numerous R&D grant proposals across various funding mechanisms. Alongside this, I have supported clients with programme design and undertaken several project and programme evaluations.

Before Optimat, I worked as an R&D scientist in several engineering biology spinouts and also gained experience as a casual academic and medical writer. This background has given me a strong analytical skillset and deep insight into early-stage technology transfer and commercialisation, which I now apply to help clients develop robust, evidence-informedstrategies towards achieving their goals.

I hold a BSc (Hons) in Biotechnology & Biochemistry and a PhD in Synthetic Biology. I am currently pursuing an MBA (Technology Management), with the support of Optimat.

Hayley Welsh

Director & Senior Consultant

I’m Hayley Welsh, a Director and Senior Consultant at Optimat. I’ve been working in consultancy for more than 23 years, helping organisations make evidence-based decisions that drive growth, competitiveness and long-term success. My work spans both private and public sectors, from shaping strategies and policies to supporting companies with commercialisation and business planning.

Much of my experience lies in demand analysis, economic evaluation, market assessment and supply chain mapping. I’ve led projects that test market demand for new initiatives, benchmark performance to guide policy, and assess the impact of strategic investments in innovation and infrastructure. At the heart of my work is a focus on turning research and analysis into clear, practical outputs that clients can act on with confidence.

I have particular expertise in developing strategies and action plans, gathering and interpreting evidence, and engaging with stakeholders to build consensus. A big part of my role is bringing clarity to complexity, whether that’s translating research into recommendations, identifying opportunities for improvement, or ensuring that the evidence gathered directly supports decision-making.

I also bring strong project management skills, having coordinated large multi-stakeholder projects at both UK and European levels. I’m highly experienced in qualitative and quantitative research, from survey design and structured interviews to data analysis, and I take pride in communicating findings clearly and effectively to clients at all levels.

I hold a BA (Hons) in International Business and Modern Languages from the University of Strathclyde and an MBA from the Open University.