BioPro Training is Keeping a Competitive Future
By Seamus Kennedy 

Key to success in any growing industry is a trained workforce. To answer that need, Oregon Bioscience Association has the BioPro Work Force Training Program, which is specifically developed for bioscience employees. BioPro offers a variety of half-day, full-day and two-day training programs, with focus in the areas of FDA, manufacturing, marketing, communication and management topics.

“Since 2007 we’ve trained 17 percent of the Oregon and Southwest Washington bioscience workforce,” states Dan Hill, BioPro Workforce training director.

The “secret sauce” for this success, Dan explains, is the BioPro Steering Committee which governs the selection and vetting process of an array of class content, as well as instructors. This committee currently represents 14 member companies. “Core to our training goal is to bolster both retention and recruitment, by developing a trained and knowledgeable workforce.”

Dennis McNanny, Oregon Bioscience Association executive director, observes that member companies have solid involvement with class quality, and can target specific industry issues, unlike training conducted outside of the area.

About Dennis and Dan

Dennis McNanny’s background includes software, publishing and healthcare transaction-processing industries. In each industry, he says, “there was no training program that I could go through to get up to speed. You just learned it all on your own, which is a long, painful process. So coming into the association, I thought it was a valuable asset to have industry-based training for new workers, and those wishing to move up.”

Dan Hill’s background is with medical devices in the orthopedic industry, where he took charge of sales and distribution lines. Dan has managed the BioPro training program for the past three years. He notes with confidence that the program’s current growth supports a developing workforce that can take charge of new challenges and opportunities.

The new word in training: networking

Dennis reflects on the unique advantages of BioPro Training. “Participants are often in class with peers from other local bioscience companies. Hence, there’s a lot of ‘cross-pollination’ that takes place in our interactive format. There is great benefit in learning some of the insights that peers bring, and then talk about, in the classes. This in turn sets up extended local collaborative networks that simply wouldn’t come to exist otherwise.”

BioPro takes stock in technical training that can help a company build, rebuild or evaluate their internal processes. The result helps companies, for example, take a leap from class-one medical devices to producing class-two devices, which involves significantly tighter FDA compliance.

The three packages of BioPro training

The focus of training is with the participants’ perspective, and classes are developed for ad hoc or gap training, as well as on-site, and soon, curriculum-based training.

Ad hoc/gap training

Dennis defines the ad hoc or gap training as: “Say you’re proficient, except in a couple of topics. You can approach BioPro training à la carte, taking specific classes as they occur throughout the year.” This individual approach is how classes are currently taken.

On-site training

Dan points to BioPro’s flexibility for on-site training. “We can provide anywhere from single topics, to a series of training for the specific location or company.”

Dennis further explains: “You wouldn’t necessarily go to on-site training for a topic like proper packaging and labeling, as most likely there would only be one person in a given company who would have need for that. Instead, a subject like project management, or a training series such as FDA inspections and regulations, would suit on-site, as an organization might have a number of people who could be involved with them.

“Likewise, lean manufacturing on-site could also help develop and build a company’s culture. Again, that is part of the interactive nature of the classes.”

New focus coming: curriculum-based training

Starting in 2012, BioPro will be offering curriculum-based training models. One obvious advantage to participants is that instead of listing five or so classes alone, instead you’d be acknowledged for participating in a consortium of medical device classes. And other people in the local market are going to be familiar with the extent of the training, as it is vetted by the companies involved.”

Focusing on the future, Dennis states: “The way I see this rolling out is people will be able to go to our web site and see a note to read about these curriculum classes, their clustering, and what they will come away with. Curriculum-based clustering will be another tool for guiding the training of our workforce.” 

Seamus Kennedy is a business communicator, who deals with effective packaging of verbal, nonverbal, written and visual communication. What we say and how we say it can add strength to even our clearest message, and Seamus helps individuals and organizations to bolster their ability to get their message across. His public speaking and presentation classes, for example, have garnered the attention of local press. skennedy@imagina.com