Pharma/Medical Device Upskilling Courses

Road-Hog

Not sure if this is the correct thread to be asking this but in any case has anyone out there done the above type course offered by ITT (Tallagh) in association with Innopharma Labs? Refer to attached link..........
http://www.innopharmalabs.com/education/private_upskilling_programme
If so comments would be appreciated as I'm considering doing it this autumn.

Hi Road-Hog.

I don't have any info for you, apologies. But I am also interested in doing it and am also curious to find out what people think of the course and it's career prospects.
They have a Innopharma link on LinkedIn which I follow and sometimes successful candidates post when they have received a new position because of doing the Innopharma course.
So, if you find out anything in the mean time, I would be glad to know.

Cheers.

Tulip11

Hi Folks,

I work in the Pharma industry; have done for the last 14 years and the one question I would have on this course is what award is conferred at the end of it?

I'd also check if the award is recognised by the various pharma/med device companies in Ireland.

If you're already employed in the industry or have previously been employed then I can see it being a benefit but if you are new to the area I would definitely check out how well recognised it is.

Hope this helps,
Tulip11

Mojo Risin

Hey guys, sorry for dragging this post up after so long...just wondering if any of you went ahead and did this course? as im thinkin of doing it this year (starting next month)...and ifd soo how was it? what did you think?
cheers

zinxy911

Hi folks

My experience of this course was not good. For me it definitely wasn't what it said on the tin!!

A lot of people felt the same & left quite early on. The validation & lean six sigma modules are barely a few hours each in total during the whole course
!! There is a lot of chemistry & fermentation studies. I found a lot of the text book stuff could be learned on the job in only a few days.

There is a huge concentration on CV & interview prep. You have to remember when choosing these Springboard courses, the course providers are getting paid per participant. Their marketing teams will beef these courses up to sound like you'll be guaranteed a job by the end of it. Their stats on people finding jobs due to their course are incorrect, a lot of people gain employment off their own merit & even before they have completed the course.


My point is, before you decide on course, try to speak to someone who has already completed the course. Was it beneficial? Have they found a job? If so, was it directly linked to course?

Just some things to think about. My experience says no but that's just my opinion.

Good luck y'all.

villain14

Hi all,

As a graduate of the course, I have a few pieces of information to share for those considering taking the course.

zinxy911 is correct in most of his points but he has put he has put a negative twist on the facts. Coming from an Engineering background, I completed the course this time last year and resulting from the course, I am now working in a pharmaceutical plant in Dublin.

There is a lot of work done on CV’s and interviews, particularly at the beginning, but it’s all beneficial. I totally changed the format of my CV and I found that my success in applying for work was much higher. The interview skills can be daunting doing mock interviews in front of other students, but it makes it much less stressful when doing the real thing when you realise that you are well prepared.

The modules are quite detailed and some people complained about the workload, but it is no more than you would expect from a Level 8 course, and if you do a small bit every so often you will have no problem in passing the course.

The course may not be everyone’s entry into a dream job but it will get you a start if you put a small bit of effort into it, most of the friends I made would testify to that.

Darwin66

Hi I am currently on the Innopharmalabs level 8 springboard course in Pharma and Medical Device Manufacturing. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to upskill for this industry. 3 months into the programme and I am starting a new job this week because of Innopharmalabs and the expert help they gave me. The job is a direct result of the course. Others on the course have also started jobs as a direct result. Yes there is a lot of material to learn in a short time and a lot of CV/interview stuff so if you want it easy you could always stay at home.
I was made very clear at the beginning that there is no such thing as a guaranteed job at the end but that plenty of opportunities will become available. This course is very good but you need to put in some work and effort yourself, they can't do it all.
So in summary I would say that this is an excellent course with lots of material to learn (for me it was all new) and it will position you in front of the goalposts again but although you will get lots of expert help, at the end of the day it's you that needs to take the shot.

Darwin66

Hi,

I should mention that the Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Manufacturing course run by Innopharmalabs is in conjunction with the Institute of Technology Tallaght and is definitely well recognized by Industry.
I am living proof of it. Got a good job after only 3 months on the course(coming from a construction background).
And by the way I am still on the level 8 course in Galway. I want to finish it and get the award as its very important to have some credentials for this Industry. So if you are thinking about it then just go for it, sign up for the next course.
Darwin66

Ging Ging

Darwin is it the level 8 course you are doing? How many days a week is it? Is it 9-5 type hours or more varied? I'm wondering if it would be possible to combine it with part-time work.

Darwin66

Yea Ging Ging its the level 8, they run it in Dublin and Galway, but they also have a level 6. Its two days a week on my course, Thursday and Friday and you have to go to labs in Dublin 3 or 4 days all together, they are usually on Saturday.

The hours in Galway are supposed to be 10 to 5 but its usually finished well before 5.

I got the job half way through and am working full time now and I'm still going to try to finish it out. They reckon other people have managed to work and do the course.
Give Innopharmalabs a call and they will tell you the story. 01 4853346

I met some good people on the course too. So go for it man.

Darwin

JennyC6789

This is an excellent course. So many of my class got a job through the efforts of the Innopharma team. Not only did we receive intensive CV preparation (which I believe that lead to numerous students getting jobs fairly quickly) but some of the team are working directly with industry and recruitment agencies to speed up the process. I went for an interview - my first in months - and got great guidance and support before attending. Was offered a job before the course ended and managed to complete the course while working.

The course work is sufficiently heavy but only to be expected when completing a Level 8 over 6 months. I felt the content really enabled me to overcome the fact that I had no pharma experience and this was especially the case when I went for my interview.
Really enjoying being back to work and the challenge of a new sector. The Innopharma team deserve all the credit for this. If you are serious about getting into this sector this course is definitely worth doing.

honest4sure

Some of these posts look more than suspicious in terms of authenticity. When I read a post that sounds like a blatant advertisement from someone from Innopharma, it certainly makes me now think long and hard about my application. Are some of these business involved in supplying springboard courses mopping up jobs us seekers we might otherwise be independently applying to by having connections in industry I wonder?

Silent Runner

This is a course that I've an interest in but I find it hard to believe how all of what's listed on the course modules can be covered in part time study within 4 months. I mean there's 10 modules listed, has anyone found that certain modules got more time than others?

Though I'm happy to hear there's a lot of chemistry and fermentaion studies!:D

Little Mermaid

Hello,
My partner is thinking of doing this course to try get foot in door with Phara/Medical plants.
Anyone who was thinking of the course above, now completed and would you recommend it?
thanks

ballbag05

Little Mermaid wrote: »

Hello,
My partner is thinking of doing this course to try get foot in door with Phara/Medical plants.
Anyone who was thinking of the course above, now completed and would you recommend it?
thanks

Hi
I applied for this course there a few months ago and I was not able to partake as I was still self employed. Done the interview with the recruiters. Was very informative. Am now reapplied to do same course. As I wound up business. To upskill after 20 years in construction sector is daunting. But I've known a few workmates that have done same course and are now flying it in various companies around the pharma sector.

gerry26

Its great to hear about this course. Just wondering would it suit for people who have a degree on arts. one of my friends is interested in doing it but she has arts background and no work experience so far. thanks

garp

gerry26 wrote: »

Its great to hear about this course. Just wondering would it suit for people who have a degree on arts. one of my friends is interested in doing it but she has arts background and no work experience so far. thanks

Hi Gerry26.
I am doing the level 6 of this course at the mo. There are a lot of folk on the course with me coming from a wide background Chefs, bricklayers, transport logistics, others have degrees again coming from a wide field.
One thing they all have in common is that we all want to get into the pharma sector in whatever way we can.

It is not an easy course and you will have to put in the work for it.

Will we get the jobs out of it...? I don't know.

FireRug

Hey all,

I've been looking for upskilling courses the past while and the three main places I've come across are Innopharma Labs, Sligo IT and Getreskilled.com. The last one offers a free online course, haven't tried it but plan on giving it a go when I have the time. Innopharma seems to pop up quite a bit and Sligo IT has a good name. Worth having a look at them all to see what suits best.

Kotik

I am after finishing level 6 Food science course with innopharma . Can't progress to level 7 as they don't have it or level 8 as I don't have science background. Wanted to go to do Pharma course, but can't as I need to stay with same academic discipline, which is Food. Still didn't get a certificate after the course is done. Didn't find all the subjects useful, only one girl was able to get a job in food industry.

Strikeback

Hi all,

I have enquired about the level 6 cert for pharma and medical devices with innopharma. Does anyone know the cost? I think it may be free for jobseekers. I have a background in banking. I am looking to start over again. A friend of mine worked in the food industry and is now in research. I showed her the modules from the course and she focused in on six sigma which you can get different belts and appears to be very important. I only have junior cert science so I hope the cert may get me in door as an operative and then from there do level 7 and level 8 with innopharma. Any thoughts?

Kotik

Level 6 pharma free for jobseekers. Otherwise a fee is 5000 euro. Y can send e mail to innopharma if any questions. Also check their Facebook page. They have open days, where y can ask all questions.

dazzler101

Hi Ballbag05

Did you manage to get into this course and complete? I am the same coming from any years in construction, bit daunting moving from one career to another over a short period.

Thanks