John Milne
Director of Training Alliances and Innovation, NIBRT
The biopharmaceutical sector continues to perform strongly due to impactful and innovative research, the approval of novel therapeutic modalities and an increasing demand for access to life-changing therapies.
A constant in this evolving industry is the requirement to manufacture biopharmaceuticals under strict conditions to satisfy regulatory mandates, with a consequential focus directed toward the skills and associated competencies of personnel engaged in biomanufacturing.
Future-ready biopharma workforce
As our industry adapts to embrace process innovations, deployment of new digitalisation strategies and artificial intelligence tools within manufacturing, the need for agile, adaptable and highly skilled workforces will be ever more important. If Ireland is to maintain a pre-eminent position in the supply of medicines and is to attract further investment in new and expanded facilities into the future, innovative training solutions will be required to address this rapidly evolving industry.
Bridging training and industry
At the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), ensuring our industry has access to best-in-class talent remains our central focus. Our purpose-built facilities and recent innovations therein provide for an unparalleled training experience with realistic and competency-focused learning opportunities. Our portfolio of course offerings can successfully bridge the gap between traditional academic training and real-world application, preparing our trainees to make a real difference and develop their own professional careers.
Courses have been designed to facilitate
professional workforces, allowing them
to learn flexibly and independently.
Standardised biopharma workforce training
An exciting new initiative, NIBRT Global Qualifications (NGQs) mark a significant step forward in standardising biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce development. These NIBRT-developed microcredential style course offerings, accredited in partnership with Atlantic Technological University (ATU), are internationally recognised and combine expert-led didactic training, coupled with focused hands-on training in the NIBRT production training facility.
These courses have been designed to facilitate professional workforces, allowing them to learn flexibly and independently. The initial foundational suite of NGQs has been developed in the disciplines of cleanroom operations, drug substance and drug product manufacturing, respectively, with additional and expanded offerings under current development.
The impact of the biopharma industry in Ireland will be intrinsically linked to the competency of its workforce, and initiatives such as NGQs will play a key role in determining future resilience.
