Potential employees require more problem solving and critical thinking skills, says a bioscience group.
In a panel discussion at the Manitoba Sustainable Protein Research Symposium in Winnipeg, Bioscience Association of Manitoba president Andrea Ladouceur said companies require people with “the combination of theory and practical application.”
BAM represents more than 120 firms across the province, ranging from agricultural biotechnology to health biotechnology.
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“We’re spending a bit of time thinking about whether this new and emerging workforce just needs a bit of time before they can demonstrate those skills, or is it something else?” Ladouceur said.
Kelley Main, dean of the University of Manitoba faculty of graduate studies, said universities have a role to play in addressing workforce needs by broadening the scope of educational experience.
“One of the opportunities we have before us is to think about how we re-imagine curriculum and how we re-imagine programs to take into account both depth and breadth,” she said.
“You need to have that depth of knowledge of the particular area that you’re working in, but if we only know the specific area that we’re working in, we miss these opportunities to understand how these pieces can fit together.”
Main said more focus on interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary studies could address the issue. She used the example of someone studying soil science. That field can be looked at from various angles, from food science to climate change and environmental sustainability.
“You need to consider geography. You need to consider transportation and logistics. A finance background might be helpful and some legal background might also be helpful. We don’t have a program currently that can give you all of that.”
Bridging the gap might not be possible for universities alone, Main said.
“I think there’s a real opportunity for us to think about the connections we can build between our educational institutions, our government institutions, our non-profit institutions and our industries to work together to figure out how to build the right kinds of pathways for people.”
Christine Watson, vice-president academic at Red River College Polytechnic, said her institution is uniquely positioned to provide breadth of experience.
In particular, she indicated its capacity for applied research compared to the research typically done at universities. She used the college’s Prairie Research Kitchen as an example, where culinary students contribute to developing new food products and services applicable to food processing and food service sectors.
“We have equipment and expertise to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the commercialization of products in Manitoba and get them to market.”
Watson also identified the need to develop cross-disciplinary skills and endow students with the ability to adapt them.
“We take those technical skills and apply them, so that the range of opportunities for the workforce is much broader.”
Bridges for industry
Stacey Dunn, a patent lawyer with the Montreal intellectual property firm Robic, said small businesses could address research and development gaps by partnering with research institutes.
“Some companies can’t necessarily afford to hire someone to do R&D full time, and this can be a really beneficial partnership for SMEs and for the researchers that are doing the work,” she said.
Dunn, who works remotely from Manitoba and specializes in agriculture, urged businesses to enter partnerships with their eyes open.
“There are some things that you need to consider before you enter into some of these partnerships, and one of them is IP (intellectual property) ownership,” said Dunn. “All the IP ownership is generally dictated by the IP policy at these research institutes.”
In some cases, universities retain full IP ownership, which can be problematic because the institution could offer a licence to a competitor. But ownership is not written in stone and research agreements can be negotiated.
“Partnering with research institutions is an excellent way to get research done. You just want to consider the implications of working with these research institutes beforehand and manage them before you start work.”
