Richard Porte of the Royal Society of Chemistry has said the education system needs to deliver a new generation of scientists and engineers.

He was speaking after the government said it would invest £65 million to fund skills in the science, engineering, manufacturing and technology sectors.

Last week, innovation and skills secretary John Denham said the money will come from the Train to Gain budget.

Mr Porte told BBC Two's The Daily Politics: "We can't predict the jobs that will exist in ten years or 20 years' time, but we can say that certain fundamental skills will be required."

He added: "If we're going to build the next generation of nuclear power plants, increase our food supply and develop sustainable fuel sources, [then] that's only going to be possible with a new generation of highly-skilled scientists and engineers."

Government funding will be channelled through Semta, the technology council that represents bioscience, engineering, aerospace and automotive companies, many of which are in the northwest.