BIOPHARMA ACADEMY’S FIRST TRAINING PROGRAM SUCCESS PAVES THE WAY FOR INSPIRING MORE SAUDI TALENT

After its first successful session in Riyadh, the Soft Skills program will make its way to Jeddah on August 27-31 2017 to upskill Saudi students and graduates from institutions including King Abdulaziz University, Batterjee Medical College, Jazan University, Tainah University, Taif University, Umm Al-Qura University and Ibn Sena National College.

In line with Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Plan 2020, the Soft Skills Program is the first component of the BioPharma Academy which aims to upskill Saudi pharmacy students and fresh graduates in the practical workings of the pharmaceuticals industry.

The inaugural program, which took place in Riyadh on July 30 2017, provided pharmacy students customized soft skills trainings, to strengthen their skills and increase chances for success when entering the competitive job market. Initiated and supported by the Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies Committee (RPCC), students were provided customized instruction on presentation, negotiation and communication skills as well as CV-writing and job interview skills and techniques.

Based on feedback received from the Riyadh sessions, 95% of the attendees rated the soft skills program as “Very Good” and “Excellent”. Positive comments from students included “the program opened my eyes”, “will help me write my CV in a better way,” and “today is just the beginning”.

The next session in Jeddah is expected to attract Pharmacy students and fresh graduates from top pharmacy colleges from across the western region to build a broad talent base, which is well prepared to meet the growing needs of the Saudi healthcare market.

Commenting on the recent launch of the academy, Dr. Basma Al Buhairan, Managing Director for Healthcare and Life Sciences from the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) said: “Developing and enhancing talent is key to successfully building a robust pharmaceutical eco-system. SAGIA welcomes the launch of the BioPharma Academy soft skills program that will equip the Saudi youth with the tools they need to become the highly skilled workforce of tomorrow, who will in turn fulfill the great potential of the Saudi pharmaceutical market, and the promise of Vision 2030. We look forward to the BioPharma Academy developing more advanced programs in the near future that will continue to train an increasingly competitive Saudi workforce.”

Dr. Aws Alshamsan, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at King Saud University, highlighted the benefits of the newly launched course and the other courses offered by BioPharma Academy in “providing attending students practical in addition to academic training. In today’s fast paced workplace, training is a key factor in the development of employees, which makes these training courses essential for fresh graduates who seek a chance to develop their skills and further prove themselves. Such training programs provide graduates with a perspective on the modern work place and directs them into their dream career paths”, added Alshamsan.

Assem Al Akabawi, Chairman of RPCC and General Manager of Bayer in Saudi Arabia, said: “The BioPharma Academy program was launched to fulfill unmet market needs and to synchronize training programs among the research-based pharmaceutical companies. The launch of the Soft Skills Program following the inauguration of the BioPharma Academy reflects our commitment to investing in the training and development of Saudi youth to be prepared for the modern work field.”

Rami Fayed, the architect of the BioPharma Academy initiative and General Manager at AbbVie Saudi Arabia, emphasized on the importance of the launched program and said: “The soft skills program focuses on developing the interpersonal skills for fresh graduates needed to land a job and proceed to build a successful career path in the health care sector which is one of the main pillars and key component in the kingdom’s plan to diversify the national economy.”

As the healthcare needs of the Kingdom grow with its population and its overall development, the BioPharma Academy program is expected to play an indispensable role in advancing the quality of healthcare in the Kingdom, meeting the mandates of Vision 2030.