RESILIENCE
More than 2,000 people have used a government-funded scheme aimed to train people working in medicines manufacturing, since the programme was launched in April 2024.
The RESILIENCE programme is funded by the Office for Life Sciences and works with several UK universities to provide training for people in the medicines manufacturing sector.
According to a press release seen by The Pharmaceutical Journal, 2,275 people had attended training events led by RESILIENCE partners as of March 2026.
More than half (51%) of the trainees were female, and more than one-third (40%) were from ethnic minorities, it said.
The programme has also held 359 events focused on student training and outreach, with more than 25,000 students taking part.
“According to industry estimates, the UK is heading towards a shortfall of 145,000 medicines manufacturing workers over the next decade,” the press release said.
“That figure includes 70,000 new roles and 75,000 replacements — jobs that could be filled by today’s students.”
On 28 April 2026, the scheme won a 2026 Learning and Excellence award for ‘Outstanding course or initiative’, as well as a sector award in the Health, Medical and Pharma category and the ‘Innovation winner’ award in the Learning Tools and Technology category.
Ivan Wall, co-director of RESILIENCE, said: “This triple award win is a testament to the hard work that’s gone into RESILIENCE over the last two years. The initial results from the scheme have exceeded even our own expectations.
“It also highlights our commitment to nurturing future generations of medicine makers and providing opportunities for young people pursuing a career in science, all while reducing the impact of this sector on the environment.”
Mark Samuels, chief executive of Medicines UK, commented: “Inspiring the next generation to consider careers in medicines manufacturing is vital, and outreach of this kind plays an important role.
“But there is far more that Innovate UK [which manages RESILIENCE] could be doing to protect and promote UK‑based manufacturing in the off‑patent sector, which supplies 85% of NHS patient prescriptions.”
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How do I find out more about this RESILIENCE scheme? These type of students would be useful for the NHS Pharmacy Manufacturing Units as we find it very difficult to recruit pharmacists and have to rely on STP students when they finish their course. Often we have to employ foreign workers and train inhouse.