Lighthouse Lab recruiting 100 more staff to meet testing capacity

The Alderley Park Lighthouse Lab in Cheshire is recruiting 100 more staff this month.

It plays a key role in supporting the Government’s drive to increase UK testing capacity. Operated by Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) it forms part of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history.

One of the most important parts of increasing testing capacity is recruiting an appropriately skilled workforce, for which the Alderley Park lab has already created 381 jobs and is set to generate further employment opportunities as it expands capacity further over the coming months.

For Prof Chris Molloy, chief executive of MDC, the situation has presented those interested in entering the North West’s Life Sciences industry with an excellent opportunity.

Prof Molloy, who also led the formation of the Lighthouse Labs network, said: “We’ve been hugely impressed by the sheer volume and diversity of the number of people coming on board with us. Many of our employees tasked with processing the swab tests are graduates and placement students, overseen by experts.

“The Lighthouse Labs Network – the largest collaboration of diagnostic testing facilities in UK history, was set up from scratch in March, and we had an initial influx of over 1,000 volunteers who joined the call to action.

“It was an amazing achievement and demonstrated both ingenuity and a genuine willingness from so many people to come together to help the country in a time of adversity.

“These volunteers have now returned to their own jobs and we’re now welcoming on board and training around two-dozen lab scientists a week from diverse backgrounds.

“That’s why we’re expecting to grow the number of employees even more in the coming month, as we further ramp up testing to help meet the Government’s goal of 500,000 daily tests by the end of October.”

He added: “In line with our longer-term ambition to hire 300 additional employees, we’re expecting to recruit 100 employees in October.”

Although nearly two thirds of young people are concerned about the impact COVID-19 will have on their careers, recent reports have identified a surge in interest in scientific careers as a direct result of the pandemic.

Dr Milena von und zur Muhlen, a senior bioscience lead at Alderley Park, said: “I responded to the Government’s call for scientists across the country to volunteer to work in the new testing facilities. I started at the Lighthouse Lab in Alderley Park in early May, a few weeks after the labs first opened, and in July, I then took on a contracted position.

“At the time we were processing around 12,000 samples a day, six months later, we are processing almost 40,000 samples a day – playing a part in this progression has been incredibly rewarding.”

Prof Molloy added: “The Lighthouse Labs Network presents early career researchers and experienced scientists alike with the opportunity to develop their expertise at a crucial time for the county – playing a pivotal role in the battle against coronavirus.”