Understanding the talent path

As you’d expect in a cutting-edge field, the life sciences sector puts a premium on talent, not just attracting it but developing it. And much of this work is done in close conjunction with third-level institutions that closely track emerging needs within the sector.

Such close links have, for example, resulted in the launch by TU Dublin of a new MBA in Life Sciences Leadership, aimed at both current and aspiring life sciences leaders.

The new programme has been developed by TU Dublin’s graduate business school in partnership with its School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. It is the first MBA of its kind in the country, building on TU Dublin’s award-winning, internationally accredited Executive MBA programme. Additional modules enhance leadership capability in what the university recognises as one of Ireland’s fastest-growing and most exciting sectors.

Among the modules included in the programme are leadership in sustainability for life sciences, operational excellence in the manufacture of life sciences products, aspects of regulatory science for the life sciences sector and quality risk management for life sciences.

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Participants will also undertake a consultancy project, providing them with an opportunity to apply their learning to a live company challenge.

According to Colin Hughes, head of TUD’s Graduate Business School, many of the MBA students participating in this course will already work in the life sciences sector; in many cases, it will be their employer who is footing the bill. In doing so they are not only investing in their team but are liable to see immediate value fed back into the organisation because of the applied nature of the programme.

“This MBA will look at some of the leadership issues and challenges they face in what is a very dynamic sector, and one that is not only very busy but which also has a lot coming down the tracks on the back of Covid,” Hughes says. “As a sector, it has seen the increased pace at which products have gotten to market, so it will be interesting to see what happens into the future, including in relation to expectation management but also in relation to such areas as decentralised trials.”

As befits any dynamic sector, it has an enormous appetite for skills and capabilities. “Those with data and intelligence around data analytics, and who can blend data with a sciences background, will be particularly important,” he says. So will those “with technical skillsets and an entrepreneurial mindset”.

While many of the MBA participants will be already employed in life sciences and healthcare, many more will be looking to move into the sector.

“We have nine of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world present in Ireland, so it’s a very big employer offering very strong opportunities,” Hughes says. “We already have a lot of TUD graduates working in very senior roles across the sector who have done really well. Very many of these companies have their European or EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa] footprint here, so there are global opportunities as well as what we call ‘international at home’ opportunities, which means you can get global experience even if you are based here because of your international colleagues and customer base.”

Others looking to move into the sector are getting their start via government-backed programmes such as the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) and Springboard+, says Anne Green, of Anne Green of TUD’s School of Chemical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences.

Convene, a five-year collaborative project, brings together dedicated teams at Technological University Dublin and University College Dublin to explore new ways in which academia and enterprise can work more closely together to meet priority and emerging skills needs.

The School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science is partnering with NIBRT, the National Institute of Bioprocessing Research and Training, and selected biopharmaceutical companies to offer an internship for science and engineering graduates who want to gain the skills and education needed to take up validation roles in the biopharmaceutical industry.

It also offers laboratory analyst apprenticeships in which employers in the life sciences sector provide the placement.

Undergrads at TUD take part in three- and six-month placements in the sector as part of their studies “and very often continue on with the company after that”, Green says. “We even have a higher diploma programme we can offer to people working full time in the industry which, once we collaborate with the employer and establish that demand is high enough, we can offer on-site.”

The companies in this sector do enormous work to bring on early talent as well, including through graduate programmes.

“Our Early Careers Programme is hugely important for our operations in Ireland. Ireland boasts one of the youngest and most educated workforces in Europe, making for a strong talent pool for domestic and multinational companies alike,” says Pamela O’Brien, director, manufacturing science and technology at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).

The competition for this talent is strong, so having a good, robust early careers prospectus for a company like BMS is imperative, she says. “We want to set our interns and graduates up for success, with a view to continuing their career journey with BMS, so our aim is to empower students to become career ready, with boundless exposure to career routes and roles that align with their interests and aptitude.”

As a former graduate of such programmes, Paul Martin, manager and senior validation engineer at BMS, understands their value more than most.

“Through the BMS graduate programme, I developed an understanding of operations across a state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing facility at the beginning of my career,” he says. “By completing rotations in manufacturing, manufacturing technology and engineering departments, I delivered key projects for the site. I’ve utilised the programme rotations to gain the skills and exposure that align with my personal career goals. This allowed me to transition seamlessly into a permanent role within the validation department, where the technical writing skills and process knowledge gained during my graduate experience have enabled me to fulfil a unique and dynamic role within the group.”

It helped fast-track Martin’s career. “The experience and working relationships developed during the graduate programme combined to allow me to quickly develop and take on additional responsibility. Already, since moving into a permanent role, I have achieved career milestones in leadership and management by leading process streamlining activities and transitioning into a managerial role.”