Karnataka government has initiated a dedicated department of skill development to give a fillip to trained manpower needs of sectors including pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. The purpose is to ensure quality skilling among qualifying graduates in the state.
 
“A separate department for skill development is a long standing demand wherein the youth coming out of educational institutions are adequately equipped to seamlessly enter the job market”, stated Thyagu Valliappa, president, Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
 
Specific to the pharma sector, Sunil Attavar, president, Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, who viewed it as an excellent initiative by the government said that it will go a long way in meeting the industry demand to get skilled manpower.
 
“We are sure that the government will align this with the concept of finishing schools already envisaged in the Karnataka Pharma Policy which will be a great boost to both the pharmacist profession and the  companies,” said the KDPMA president.
 
Bengaluru is the healthcare capital of India going by the number of corporate hospitals. The shortfall of specifically trained lab technicians has led science graduates to opt for such openings creating a mismatch in qualification and salary expectations. There is a need to mould healthcare specific vocational skills among the 10th to 12 standard students. This will help the sector to access the middle level workforce, noted Neeti Sharma, senior vice president, TeamLease Services.
 
Unlike skills’ development in other fields, pharmaceuticals cannot have a generalized training. This particular aspect puts considerable restrictions for a standalone skills development infrastructure including a separate coordination cell. To ensure that this particular initiative is successful, stringent measures should be ensured for the participating institutions and industries. A set of guidelines can be framed to avoid unscrupulous elements getting entry into this important endeavour of the government, pointed out Prof. Dr. S. Mohan, director, PES College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru.
 
The synergy of information technology with pharmaceuticals has created openings for life science qualified candidates in big data analytics, R&D and knowledge-based systems for clinical trials management. The skills department must counsel students on the multiple opportunities within the pharma industry. For instance scores of graduates in commerce and arts do not know where to go. The job options need to be shared with school students to prepare every child for tomorrow. It would enable pre-screening for employability and career development, said the TeamLease senior VP.
 
It is an opportune time for the industry to plough back its experience into academia so as to re-orient teaching programmes and methodology of study to enrich knowledge which is contemporary and in tune with the industry demands, said Valliappa.
 
“A database on employment and employability of candidates in sectors including pharma, healthcare, information technology, travel & tourism will explicate required capability of the future workforce. Manpower creation requires adequate infrastructure, teachers and technology adoption. A practical approach for the government would be to access industry experience and subject matter experts to train, besides rope in legal and regulatory professionals to identify promising career options for science, pharmacy and medical graduates to create adequate future manpower supply. Technology can also help monitor and track future job openings, said Sharma.