First teenagers complete innovative Liverpool City Region skills programme that gives hands-on surgical training
Twenty-four sixth-form students from Carmel College have completed a brand-new skills programme that's designed to train the life sciences workforce of the future.
Article date: 6 June 2025
The students were embedded for four months at award-winning St Helens firm Inovus Medical, which designs and builds simulators that are training surgeons across the world.
The company celebrated the end of the first cohort of the LCR Ignite programme, funded through the Liverpool City Region Innovation Zone.
Inovus Medical also unveiled its new training room called ERIC (Education, Research Innovation Centre) which includes surgical simulators operating on synthetic organs.
St Helens Borough Council Leader Councillor Anthony Burns, said: "St Helens Borough has a rich history of innovation and LCR Ignite is an opportunity for our young people to play a leading part in the innovations of the future. Our Life Science Innovation Zone is providing real opportunities for the people of our borough and is helping to establish us as a leading life science hub.
"It was fantastic to see the first cohort complete the programme and hear the impacts that providing these high value opportunities can have, there really is no limit to our ambition for our young people. This is the vision of our regeneration, it is about raising aspirations and providing opportunities for our young people here in St Helens "
Inovus Medical was awarded £1m as part of the city region's Life Sciences Innovation Zone Programme - which they matched - to set up the innovative training scheme for young people across the city region.
The skills programme enables 16-18 years olds to expand their skill set, gain hands-on experience, and benefit from personalised mentorship during a placement at Inovus - with opportunities available in every department from engineering and product development to sales, marketing, and finance.
The first cohort of 24 Year 12 pupils from Carmel College in St Helens completed their training with a series of presentations and an awards ceremony last month.
The programme is set to be extended to six more sites across the city region with a hub in each local authority area providing career opportunities and practical experience for young people.
Founded in 2012 by combining the talents of Dr Elliot Street and engineer Jordan Van Flute, Inovus Medical creates accessible and affordable simulators for surgical training and has a strong track record of training local apprentices.
Headquartered at St Helens Manufacturing and Innovation Campus and with a US HQ in Florida, the company exports its technology to more than 80 countries - helping solve a global surgeon shortage and ultimately saving lives.
Dr Elliot Street, CEO of Inovus Medical, said: "Working to solve the global surgeon shortage and ultimately save lives is the driving force behind Inovus Medical and ERIC. This new educational institution will not only bring trainee surgeons from all over the world to the LCR but will also allow them to maximise their training time through our affordable, accessible intensive courses that combine surgical simulation with expert-led education"
The LCR Innovation Zone Programme is expected to create 8,000 new jobs and attract up to £800m investment to the Liverpool City Region over the next 10 years.
The Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone Programme (LCR Innovation Zone Programme) is part of the Government's national Investment Zone Programme.
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