In the SRG survey, pharmaceutical and biotech companies cited the short supply of analysts as a particular problem. Typically employed on a contract basis, analysts must be graduate- or PhD-level candidates, so their shortfall suggests that the shortage of qualified British life science researchers could continue.
Science graduates may also lack the specific skills employers seek. SRG believes the gap is widening between what science industries want and what they get in respect of the availability, quantity, and quality of new recruits. While 94% of the employers surveyed expressed satisfaction with disciplines taught in universities, on other measures, companies still report that graduates who pursue science careers lack required skills and knowledge. Thirty-eight percent of employers describe a shortage of graduate talent with up-to-date practical experience. In the fast-moving field of genomics, for example, fresh graduates are unlikely to exhibit state-of-the-art technical skills or much in the way of practical ...
