The Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council (LSSSDC) is keen to see that pharma and biotech companies in the country work to raise the quality of workforce among the eligible new entrants and existing personnel.
 
The move follows a circular issued by the Drugs Control General of India (DCGI) in August this year to upgrade the skill sets across pharma-biotech industry. In order to improve the quality of pharmaceutical products, the DCGI sees that it is imperative for all the personnel in drug manufacturing units to undergo the certification programmes developed by the LSSSDC from January 2018.
 
DCGI has now advised all pharma and biotechnology organisations to have their existing workforce certified by LSSSDC, as per the National Occupation Standards. The candidate requires a formal diploma or degree in the relevant area or be certified by the LSSSDC or equivalent organisation in the area which he has been deployed.
 
Further, the circular advises organisations to hire those certified by the Council. This is indeed a very welcome step and will serve to raise the quality of workforce, through skilling. The government had entrusted the work relating to the development of qualification packs as the National Occupational Standards to us, Ranjit Madan, chief executive officer, Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council told Pharmabiz.
 
“This is indeed a very welcome step and will serve to raise the quality of workforce, through skilling. It also indicates the trust reposed on us by DCGI. It will bring about a convergence and synergy, between the workforce and ministry of health and family welfare which is responsible for quality in this very important sector,” he added.
 
Now the LSSSDC after an elaborate exercise and extensive consultation with the pharma-biotech industry has evolved two modes of certification: One is post fresh skilling and assessment of eligible youth. The other is the post assessment under ‘Recognition of Prior Learning ‘(RPL) for existing workforce in the industry.
 
According to Neeti Sharma, senior vice president, TeamLease Services, in the post fresh skilling the training is not just for B Pharm but graduates in arts and science too. This will enable fill up vacancies in stores and supply chain management. Training for any sector will be imparted to the IIT diploma holders to work as machine operators and the commerce graduates for audits departments. The B Pharm candidates will be trained specifically for production and quality control among others.
 
Such industry-ready trained workforce will increase productivity and make candidates resourceful They will have a prior comprehension about their job role. These courses are short-term in nature, aimed at a particular skill-set. It will be not mere technical training but adequate exposure to digital literacy, communication skills, decision making and planning which are requirements for current and future job roles. Going forward it will define the job role, salary expectations and required experience allowing only those candidates to apply. It will help the industry to get the specific job applications and identify the right personnel, she said.
 
The long-term job outlook is promising with newer lucrative career openings in testing, production, R&D, regulations. There will be a demand for IPR professionals who are currently working in law firms at KPOs which serve vendors for pharma-biotech companies. These new jobs have a brand image and value, noted Sharma.