Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council (LSSSDC) has collaborated with Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to boost employability skills of B. Pharmacy students in India.
The ‘Make in India’ campaign and ‘Atma Nirbhar’ vision coupled with introduction of production linked incentive (PLI) scheme worth Rs 15k Cr in pharmaceutical sector for enhancing India’s manufacturing and export capabilities, are expected to give further fillip to the sector. Growth of the sector, will inevitably require an injection of skilled workforce.
The partnership will offer integrated NSQF aligned Skill Packs/QP for B. Pharma VIII semester students as one of the elective subjects. These electives will be available for colleges starting January 2021 onwards. This will enhance the employability skills of pharmacy students as per industry requirements.
It also supplies 62% of the global demand for vaccines. In the context of the current Pandemic, Indian Life Sciences sector is expected to play a significant role.
To formalise and discuss this, LSSSDC and PCI hosted a Virtual Meeting with the presence of over 300 B. Pharma colleges and universities. Dr. B. Suresh, President, Pharmacy Council of India and Mr Ranjit Madan, CEO and Joint Apprenticeship Advisor, LSSSDC addressed the academia regarding the initiative, with other senior officials from PCI and LSSSDC participating.
Mr Ranjit Madan, CEO and Joint Apprenticeship Advisor, LSSSDC highlighted the strong connect with Industry which LSSSDC has established, leveraging presence of all active/ major Associations in the Governing Body (GB) , now reinforced by presence of the top five companies in the GB. There has been deep involvement of Industry in each element of skilling chain, culminating in successful Apprenticeship and Placement. Students from colleges under PCI can derive significant benefit from this.
Dr. B. Suresh, President, Pharmacy Council of India emphasised that PCI is looking at possible measures to revamp its curriculum to make it more Industry aligned. Accordingly, integration of NSQF aligned LSSSDC QP/Curriculum with B. Pharma courses will be a significant step towards development of employability skills of B. Pharma graduates.
He added that LSSSDC’s strong bonding with the pharmaceutical industries at regional level would support the academia with apprenticeship cum placement linkages. In addition, the close and growing partnership between PCI and LSSSDC will facilitate Industry- Academia collaboration.
To sum up, this joint initiative intends to bring Industry and Academia in the Life Sciences sector closer, making the candidates desirous of joining the sector more productive and job ready, thereby meeting the growing demand for skilled workforce of the sector. The expected enhancement in employability skills of candidates, as an outcome of the partnership, could make the PCI- LSSSDC initiative a true game changer.
Also read: HR Presidents of top companies join LSSSDC governing body https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/hr-presidents-of-top-companies-join-lsssdc-governing-body/
