This site is mainly aimed at teachers and students at Key Stage 4 and in post-16 education. It is specifically aimed to support applied science courses and parts of the statutory work-related learning framework introduced in September 2004. It gives a context for how Key Skills and Science are used in the pharmaceutical industry.

For work-related learning background see http://www.qca.org.uk/14-19/6th-form-schools/68_88.htm

For details of the frameworks for work-related learning see http://www.qca.org.uk/14-19/6th-form-schools/68_188.htm

The elements of provision for all students are reproduced below but there is much more detail on the QCA web site.

Mapping of the work-related framework to the modules is indicated below:

Framework element 1 - Students recognise, develop and apply their skills for enterprise and employability. 
Relevant modules:
Beating Bacteria
Medicine box challenge
Laboratory safety (coming soon)
Picking the team
Getting a Job
FAQ

Framework element 2 - Students use their experience of work, including work experience and part-time jobs, to extend their understanding of work.
Relevant modules:
None yet available

Framework element 3 - Students learn about the way business enterprises operate, working roles and conditions, and rights and responsibilities in the work place. 
Relevant modules:
Medicines: facts and figures (coming soon)
Laboratory safety (coming soon)
Picking the team
Getting a Job
FAQ

Framework element 4 - Students develop awareness of the extent and diversity of local and national employment opportunities. 
Relevant modules:
FAQ

Framework element 5 - Students relate their own abilities, attributes and achievements to career intentions and make informed choices based on an understanding of the alternatives. 
Relevant modules:
Getting a job
Picking the team
FAQ

Framework element 6 - Students undertake tasks and activities set in work contexts. 
Relevant modules:
Picking the Team
Getting a Job
Beating Bacteria
Medicine box challenge
Laboratory safety (coming soon)
FAQ
Pilot plant tour

Framework element 7 - Students learn from contact with personnel from different employment sectors. 
Relevant modules:
Medicines: the background (coming soon)
Laboratory safety (coming soon)
Getting a Job
Picking the team
FAQ
Pilot plant tour

Framework element 8 - Students have experience (direct or indirect) of working practices and environments. 
Relevant modules:
Medicines: facts and figures (coming soon)
Medicines: the background (coming soon)
Laboratory safety (coming soon)
Picking the team
FAQ
Pilot plant tour

Framework element 9 - Students engage with ideas, challenges and applications from the business world 
Relevant modules:
Medicine box challenge
Beating Bacteria
Picking the Team

Mapping the modules to the framework is shown below:

Medicines: facts and figures (coming soon)
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 3

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of the facts related to the industry.

• statistics on the use of modern medicines their benefits;
• world metrics.

Medicines: the background (coming soon)
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 3

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of the issues involved in the pharmaceutical business.

• drugs and medicines - what the terms mean - methods of administration of medicines;
• the research and development process

Beating Bacteria - for KS4 with aspects suitable for post-16
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 1, 6, 9

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of how drugs are developed using comparisons of key data sets; what aspects are the most important for an orally dosed medicine; production and manufacturing timescales.

• looking at data on 10 potential new drugs and deciding which to take forward;
• deciding on the manufacturing process and timescales based on information given;
• looking at data on 52 potential new drugs and deciding which to take forward by sorting and ordering data in spreadsheets;
• can be used as an enterprise challenge.

Medicine box challenge
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 1, 6, 9

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of the importance of dosage regimes, safety of medicines and storage conditions.

• using dosage and safety data to design a label for a medicine box and bottle
• gives an appreciation of how drugs are absorbed in the body, how they are eliminated from the blood stream and therefore an understanding of why, for example, we take 2 tablets 4 times a day
• investigating drug absorption data using an interactive spreadsheet to pick the best blood level profile
• can be used as an enterprise challenge in producing specific quantities of boxes to a design brief with correct labelling.

Laboratory safety (coming soon)
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 1, 3, 6, 7, 8

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of safe working practices and how to carry out a risk assessment.

• students assess the risks in a chemical reaction and work out how to carry it out safely using various data sheets provided;
• provision of a Risk Assessment template for students to use for classic school experiments

Getting a job
Linked to work-related learning framework element 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of good and bad application forms and the subsequent steps in the job application process.

• students work in groups to select the best candidates from application forms for work experience positions;
• useful background information covers hints on filling in applications forms, producing a good CV and performing well at an interview.

Picking the team
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Key objective - to give students an appreciation of the variety of skills that are needed by the pharmaceutical industry, what to look for in a CV and how to write them.  A separate activity explores team working skills and how to make an effective team.

• students match a candidate’s CV to a job description – there are 6 typical roles and 8 CVs;
• a card sort exercise covering good and bad team behavious creates an effectively working team.

FAQ
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8

Key objective - to provide answers to common questions raised by students doing research projects on GlaxoSmithKline and the pharmaceutical industry.

• how science is used in the workplace
• types of jobs and qualifications of staff
• health and safety
• local impact
• business data

Pilot plant tour aimed at post-16 chemistry courses
Linked to work-related learning framework elements 6, 7, 8

• a virtual tour of a chemistry pilot plant shows how chemistry is carried out safely on a large scale
• a teacher led activity explores what to consider in scaling up a typical reaction from 2g to 20kg