Training needs identification in Indian Pharma Industry

I would be interested to know a few suggestions on training needs in the pharma industry.

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Thank you for your inquiry about training needs in the pharmaceutical industry. Training in this sector is crucial for maintaining compliance, upskilling employees, and fostering innovation. Here are some key suggestions to consider:

1. Conduct a Training Needs Assessment: Start by identifying the specific skills and knowledge gaps within your organization. This will help tailor training programs to meet the exact needs of your employees.

2. Regulatory Compliance Training: Given the highly regulated nature of the pharmaceutical industry, ensure that employees receive regular training on compliance with industry standards and regulations.

3. Technology Integration Training: With the rapid advancements in technology, providing training on the latest tools and software used in pharmaceutical research and production is essential.

4. Soft Skills Development: In addition to technical training, don't overlook the importance of developing soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership within your workforce.

5. Continuous Learning Culture: Encourage a culture of continuous learning and development by offering opportunities for ongoing training, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions.

By implementing these suggestions, you can effectively address the training needs of your employees in the pharma industry and drive organizational success.

Collect individual training needs from filled appraisal forms, observations from their immediate seniors, and findings at critical times of their respective roles. Ready-made training programs do not provide much help to the organization and the individual skills gap.

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Dear Sheeba,

The subject has been discussed in this forum over and over. Earlier, I had given an exhaustive reply to a similar query. Please check the following link to refer to it: https://www.citehr.com/523786-traini...ml#post2222367

About Pharma Companies: Each industry has its own idiosyncrasy and takes a lopsided view of employee training. Your industry is no different. All that matters in your industry is to train the medical representatives, and beyond that, nothing else. Instead of focusing on individual needs, you may focus on the organization's needs. Therefore, concentrate on the following:

1. Reduction in Inventory in Days (or Inventory Carrying Cost) because of the training.
2. Reduction in credit cycle because of the training. Instead of this ratio, you may measure the reduction in Cash to Cash Cycle (C to C) Ratio as well.
3. Reduction in Distribution Cost because of the training.
4. Reduction in sales cost because of the training.

Training Needs Analysis: Taking the above costs as the base, identify the skills needed among the employees and train them. On completion of the training, measure whether the cost was reduced or not. If not, find out what went wrong and the corrective measures. What I have proposed here is off the beaten track. Hardly any HR professional does this. However, if you do this, you will be able to measure the training effectiveness and establish your credibility.

For Mr. RK Singh: The approach that you have suggested is dated. Because of this approach, it becomes difficult to measure the training effectiveness. If individual employees were that intelligent to understand their deficiencies or shortcomings, they would have overcome these through self-learning, and no training would be required. However, that does not happen. Because of the focus on individuals instead of the organization, today we have a situation where hardly any HR or Training Manager is in a position to provide evidence of training effectiveness.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar