ARCS Australia awarded contract for workforce skills gap training

Medical News: A selection of industry training providers will deliver new programs addressing key skills gaps in the medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical (MTP) sector workforce.

The skills gaps were identified in MTPConnect’s first report of the comprehensive skills gap analyses being delivered under the Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) initiative and the funding is provided from the first round of the REDI Contestable Program.

ARCS Australia will deliver training workshops in Melbourne and Sydney to address skills gaps relating to the strategic design of clinical trials to meet regulatory and payer needs for pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

SeerPharma will deliver a range of programs online and in capital cities to address skills gaps relating to quality management systems and protocols.
The new education and training programs will roll out nationally in April until late 2021.

MTPConnect Managing Director and CEO, Dr Dan Grant, says the REDI initiative is working to both identify key skills gaps and support new training programs to plug the gaps.

“Through our ‘root and branch’ skills gap analysis work we are developing a deep understanding of current and future skills gaps,” Dr Grant said.

“Now is the time to take action to fill the gaps, so with an eye on developing an industry-ready workforce that will power the next wave of innovation and growth, we’re supporting the development of bespoke education and training solutions through the REDI Contestable Program.

“This first round was highly competitive, and I congratulate ARCS and SeerPharma on their successful bids and welcome them as partners in our REDI program.

“These new training programs support areas of growth in our sector such as management of clinical trials and the translation and commercialisation of therapeutics and will help to ensure workforce skills are aligned to the current and future needs of the sector,” Dr Grant said.

Dr Shanny Dyer, CEO of ARCS Australia, welcomed the announcement and flagged a mid-year start date for their five-day workshop program on clinical trial design.

“ARCS Australia is very pleased and excited to deliver workshops for start-ups and SMEs developing pharmaceuticals and medical devices. This program will provide access to a faculty of skilled and experienced trainers and practitioners and expand the capacity and capability of the research
community to undertake translational health and medical research in Australia,” Dr Dyer said.

SeerPharma Partner and Training Manager, David Spaulding, explained the company had been training and mentoring the medical technologies and pharmaceuticals industry on matters related to Quality Management and GMP compliance for over 30 years and the REDI partnership furthers their
mission to “Advance Quality and GMP Best-Practices” for the industry.

“During this time, SeerPharma has seen the industry evolve using world-class research and development to deliver exceptional therapeutic products. In order to translate R&D into commercial product, a comprehensive understanding of quality systems is essential,” said Mr Spaulding.