London Life Sciences Week – The Power of Partnership
Partnership working can be so powerful. Last week saw the culmination of months of work with colleagues at Paddington Life Sciences Partners and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, as we delivered a series of events under the London Life Sciences Week 2025 banner.
Over the course of the week Grand Union BID;
- Set up interactive life science careers workshops for 80 Year 10 students at King Solomon Academy
- Ran a life sciences careers fair attended by 100 15 – 18 year olds, with opportunities to speak to nine life science organisations, all based here in Westminster
- Organised for 25 Year 4 pupils to visit a dedicated Learning Lab in Didcot, hosted by Vertex pharmaceuticals
Our involvement in London Life Sciences Week in Paddington was a response to findings in the Bloomberg Report, published in October 2024. This report, commissioned by Paddington Life Sciences, documents the work that needs to be done to strengthen the life sciences workforce and provide access to life science careers for Paddington residents.
One of the report’s key recommendations was to increase awareness of life science careers by showcasing the breadth of roles available and to increase opportunities for employers and the next generation of local scientists to connect. The events that took place for Paddington pupils last week did exactly that.
We are thrilled that our first London Life Sciences Week in Paddington has been a huge success. Grand Union BID members stepped up to create such inspiring content for pupils, who have had their first taste of careers in life sciences and been inspired by some of Paddington’s biggest names.
Life sciences are very much part of Paddington’s DNA. The life sciences spark has been lit for many pupils this week, providing a springboard for the creation of a long-term, strategic programme between Grand Union BID, Paddington Life Sciences Partners and local schools.
On Wednesday 19 November, activities took place at King Solomon Academy (KSA), located in Church Street – the most deprived part of Westminster. Employees from Convatec, Optum and Microsoft delivered interactive, fast-paced workshops to Year 10 pupils during their science lessons. The 50 minute sessions introduced pupils to the range of roles within these businesses. Colleagues shared personal stories of their pathways into employment and a spotlight was placed on the innovative work each organisation undertakes to improve public health.
Our teams really enjoyed meeting students at King Solomon Academy during London Life Sciences Week. The time together was a great opportunity to demonstrate our forever caring promise in action, share experiences and learn from their ideas and aspirations. We are grateful for the support of Paddington Life Sciences and the Paddington Partnership for making this possible, a powerful network that makes a difference to young people’s life chances.
Later in the day, 80 Year 10 students and 20 sixth formers, all studying Applied Sciences, attended an industry specific careers fair. Nine organisations participated, including Healthcare Central London, Imperial College, North West London Pathology and Westminster City Council. The room was full of chemistry and conversation, as students got the opportunity to learn about roles, speak to individuals at all stages of their career journeys and try their hand at practical experiments.
ICHP were delighted to take part in the careers fair at King Solomon Academy. It was a unique opportunity to step away from the office and connect with local students. We were able to share more about our organisation and our career journeys which hopefully brought to life the array of work options there are in the local area. It was truly a pleasure to connect with such curious young people and to hear about what they are excited about!
Opportunities like these are critical to schools achieving one of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks – encounters with employers and employees. The Gatsby Benchmarks are the definition of world-class careers guidance for young people in England and more than 90% of schools in the country assess the success of their careers provision using these measures.
Site tours and learning outside the classroom are another essential strand of the Gatsby Benchmarks. On Thursday 20 November, we organised for 25 Year 4 pupils from local St Mary Magdalene and St Stephen’s CE School to visit the Vertex Learning Lab in Didcot. This is a purpose-built facility, specifically designed to increase participation from students from under-represented backgrounds in STEAM subjects.
During their visit the students took part in two workshops: extracting DNA from a strawberry and using pipettes. We hope that this practical, hands-on learning will stimulate curiosity, encourage further discussion with parents and teachers and foster a love of science.
Learning outside the classroom in environments like Vertex’s Learning Lab is invaluable. It helps children connect what they learn in school to the wider world, broadens their horizons and shows them that science isn’t just something from a textbook—it’s an exciting, real-world career path, open to them in the future. This visit has not only enriched their scientific understanding but also widened their aspirations for the future.
Working in such close partnership with Paddington Life Sciences Partners and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust enabled us to bring together global life sciences businesses, the NHS, local educational institutions and statutory bodies for a week filled with energy, enthusiasm and exploration. We are excited for what comes next as we work with all these organisations on building a pipeline of future talent for the thriving life science sector here in Paddington.