At a time when the life sciences industry is grappling with shortage of skilled manpower, a new player has entered the training scene in Bangalore. Pharma Training Institute (PTI), set up three months back by Karnataka Pharma Trust, offers a six-week industrial orientation course for graduates, post-graduates and employees of pharma companies.

The shortage of manpower, estimated by the pharma industry on an annual basis, is in the range of 2,000 to 5,000 with a larger projection for the coming year.

The Institute plans to train eight batches of 18 candidates each year, said, Suresh Khanna, chairman, Pharma Training Institute and managing director, Dossier Solution Pvt Ltd.

The first of the 12 candidates who were sponsored employers of the pharma industry completed the course in November and the second batch will begin this month, he said.

According to Khanna, who has 30 years' experience in domestic pharma companies, one of the biggest challenge for the industry lies in attracting and retaining the right talent. The sector is bogged down by the flight of quality personnel and there is need to access constant supply of personnel. Lack of trained manpower has been a serious issue affecting the pharma industry. This is a critical for the growth of a knowledge-intensive industry, he added.

Small, medium and large sized companies in Karnataka typically employ 10 to 300 candidates for their technical, research, manufacture sales and marketing departments.

The current scene is extremely competitive and the pharma industry need to address aspects related to R&D, manufacture, marketing and regulations. It needed a large pool of employable candidates familiar with these issues and creating and grooming prospective pool of such people would promote the overall growth of the industry too, said Khanna.

The course covers production, R&D quality control customer management, intellectual property rights and regulatory frameworks. The six weeks training fee is Rs 16,000. The teaching panel includes trainers from the sector as involvement of senior industry leaders helps to address the competency requirements of the future.

For the future, PTI intends to set up a process instrumentation lab. It would offer diploma holders in engineering seeking openings in a pharma production plant or pilot facility the relevant training to operate and maintain the machinery, he said.

Karnataka has a total of 60 colleges offering B Pharm, 98 institutions providing D Pharm and 20 M Pharm colleges. For the third batch, the PTI plans to tap fresh graduates and post graduates from the pharmacy colleges in the state.