Process Operator in the pharmaceutical industry to fulfill competence needs

Uppsala Municipality's educational program Process Operator in the pharmaceutical industry, running at Uppsala Business Park have now been certified through Teknikcollge. This means that Life Science companies in our region will continue to play a key role in shaping the structure of the courses as well as designing their actual content.

Uppsala BIO, STUNS has been one of the initiators of the education, pinpointing the need for such a program in Uppsala, and preparing the course content in dialogue with the local industry. 

Wandering around Uppsala Business Park, one gets a feeling of coziness and proudness. The corridors filled with a touch of history and a mix of modern innovative companies, guarded by the shades of the large life science giants stand there all together as guards of the imponent space. A mark, a staple of the rich life science tradition in Uppsala.

No wonder why Uppsala Municipality has chosen the old cozy Pharmacia library tackled between the big laboratories and promising newcomers to host the new educational program Process Operator within the pharmaceutical industry. Dedicated teachers lead the courses to more than 30 students in the pilot program, eager to provide the next generation of Operators, with one goal in mind: to fulfill an urgent need of the sector. 

One of kind program to fulfill the needs

During the event Uppsala Life 2019, organized by Uppsala BIO, STUNS, one of the topics covered the competence needs as a condition for healthy growth of the Life Science sector. The need for qualified Process Operational workforce was addressed by all the panelists.

The new educational program was praised both by the smaller Life Science actors, as well as the bigger players in the industry. As the production sites are growing, the gap becomes more evident. Therefore, the new program comes into place at really good timing.

Uppsala Municipality has started the vocational education at the upper secondary level within the adult education in the fall of 2019. And the courses are held at Uppsala Business Park where 2500 work in different fields, the majority within the life science system. One of a kind in Sweden, the training is 35 weeks long, and provides both theoretical and practical skills for the future workforce. The interest in the program has been very big. One of the teachers in an informal conversation said that they had more than 170 applicants for only 30 spots.

The students also get to experience relevant hands-on and study visits to the main production facilities in Uppsala. During our visit, the group was preparing for a study visit at Mercodia, a company that supplies ELISA-based tests and services to all major international markets. 

Noticeably excited, the personnel informed us that they visited Testa Center recently, as part of their practical program.

“Well educated process operators are crucial for our business. As a hiring manager, I very much welcome the program to Testa Center. Testa Center is a relevant environment for the students to be acquainted with” ads Jesper Hedberg, Director of Testa Center.

Expansion at the Teknik college Uppland

Lately, Uppsala Municipality's educational program Operator in the pharmaceutical industry has been awarded the certification Technical College training by the Swedish Industry Council and will thus be included in Teknikcollege Uppland from 2020.

“The training will be included in Uppsala's local steering group together with Fyrisskolan in Uppsala” explains Patrik Larsson, Process Manager at Teknikcollege.

The certification will broaden the opportunities for even more qualified Operators in the pharmaceutical industry and will open doors for intensified collaborations between the industry and the education. “We want to help to continuously improve education according to the needs of the labor market. This will be done mainly with a collaboration within our local and regional steering groups where we gather companies and educators’ finishes Larsson.