Biotech Career Prospects Improved with New BioTalent Canada Technical Skills Training

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioTalent Canada and the Stem Cell Network today announced the launch of BioTalent Canada's new national bilingual online “Technical Skills Fundamentals Training Program” that will help students transition successfully to the bio-economy workforce. The announcement was made at the Stem Cell Network Conference.

The courses are available to participants from BioTalent Canada’s Student Work Placement Program (SWPP). The new offerings are modern, engaging, topical and relevant, and are designed for a generation of learners who are comfortable in on-line learning environments.

The courses help fill a skills and knowledge gap in the bio-economy that has been a persistent challenge for employers, as discussed in BioTalent Canada’s most recent Labour Market Information research brief “The Talent Differential: The case for work-integrated learning in the bio-economy.”

“Work-integrated learning (WIL) programs, like SWPP have been a mutually beneficial way to introduce youth to bio-economy employers and maintain a steady pipeline of healthcare and bioscience talent,” says Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. “The development of technical skills training courses that complement SWPP is a natural evolution in the process to aid in a student’s successful transition to the bio-economy workforce.”

“Technical Skills Fundamentals” provides job seekers, employees, students and new hires with the key technical skills needed to gain a competitive advantage—the BioReady Edge^TM—when entering the workforce. The program includes the following independent training courses:

• Scientific Report Writing Fundamentals
• Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) Fundamentals
• Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Fundamentals
• Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) Fundamentals
• Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Fundamentals

Students will have the ability to complete pre-and post-assessments for each component of the program and upon successful completion, will receive BioTalent Canada’s BioReady^TM designation and give them an edge in the job market.

“One of the main objectives of BioTalent Canada is to ensure that cutting edge biotechnology professional development opportunities exist,” explains Henderson. “Combined with SWPP—Canada’s strongest wage subsidy program—Technical Skills Fundamentals provides a powerful one-two punch that will allow new hires to integrate into the work environment easily, contribute quickly, and impress immediately.”

For more information on the “Technical Skills Fundamentals Training Program,” please visit biotalent.ca/technical.

Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Student Work Placement Program.

About BioTalent Canada

BioTalent Canada™ is the HR partner of and catalyst for growth in Canada’s bio-economy. Our engagement with employers, associations, post-secondary institutions, immigrant serving agencies and service providers has built a dynamic network that is strengthening skills, connecting job-ready talent to industry and creating opportunities. Recently awarded a Great Place to Work® Certification, BioTalent Canada practices the same industry standards they recommend to their stakeholders.

Recently, BioTalent Canada was named one of Best Workplaces in Ontario for 2020 and Best Workplaces in Healthcare. These distinctions were awarded to BioTalent Canada following a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work®. Direct feedback from employees was provided to Great Place to Work® through a staff survey.

For more information visit biotalent.ca.

About the Student Work Placement Program

The Student Work Placement Program is an initiative to increase the job-readiness of students registered in STEM, healthcare, business programs and all other programs at Canadian post-secondary institutions. The program offers student wage subsidies to a maximum of $7,500.

For more information, visit biotalent.ca/Co-opFunds.