According to Care Ratings, Indian pharma industry ranks third in terms of volume with a market size of almost $45 billion in FY21 and is predicted to grow significantly to become a $60 billion market in the coming 2 years. The massive growth in Pharmaceutical Industry also catapulted the emergence of new job roles as well as the evolution of existing roles. Some of the hot topics for upskilling with this premise would be:
Top 3 Tech Skills:
Machine Learning and Deep Learning
In the recent few years, Machine Learning and Deep Learning have evolved from simple algorithms to sophisticated ones we use in daily life ranging from browser searches to voice, facial, or pattern recognition to self-driving cars. Similarly, Machine Learning has evolved in pharmaceutical research as well. Machine Learning and Deep Learning can be applied to multiple facets of Pharma like Drug Discovery, Manufacturing, Clinical Trials, and even epidemic prediction. In fact, it is very important to have cutting-edge algorithms now that we have closely experienced how important it is to be ready for any future epidemics.
All Pharma organizations have been upskilling and cross-skilling their tech professionals to stay ahead of these rapid changes in the sector and the world itself. In such times, Machine and Deep Learning seems to be one of the most important skills to learn.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Robotic process automation can effectively manage and support many manual processes while reducing costs and errors. RPA has become an integral technology in Pharma in recent years and will continue to evolve in the coming years. RPA can be implemented in almost all functions right from Admin, IT, Supply Chain and Inventory Management, to HR, Finance, and Sales as well. To implement RPA effectively, organizations need a skilled tech workforce. This will be possible with continuous learning and continuous upskilling.
Big Data and Analytics
Drug discovery and development along with manufacturing needs accurate analysis of large volumes of data and multiple data sets. This calls for a need for high-performance systems that can derive insights and conclusions rather precisely. Pharmaceutical organizations are keen to use (if not already using) Big Data Analytics to perform operations on historical and real-time data generated to arrive at predictive, diagnostic, prescriptive, and descriptive analytics
These techniques are used on all kinds of data including medical data and medical imaging as well. L&D in Pharma want to train their professionals and hone their skills in Big Data and Analytics to keep up with the pace of the industry.
Soft Skills:
Tech professionals along with their core skills need to develop certain soft skills to become holistic employees. Particularly in sectors like Pharma and Medicine, it is the soft skills and other business skills that differentiate them from others.
Stress Management
Working in Pharma may be demanding, with long hours of standing and executing various duties with extreme precision. One must be able to manage tension and maintain a positive attitude at all times. As tech professionals in Pharma carry the responsibility of people’s lives whether it is through analytics or RPA, they need stress management modules to keep themselves managed and calm at all times.
Teamwork
Tech professionals while working in Pharma need to coordinate closely with researchers, scientists, managers, and others. While they might feel slightly disconnected with others, they need to learn to work as part of a care team and communicate with other individuals. They should be able to take on extra responsibilities, and foresee the requirements of Pharma research.
While these are the biggest skills Pharma industry is skilling in, we understand every organization is unique and therefore their skilling requirements. L&D is all about mapping skill gaps, planning accurate training needs, and executing learning programs with high impact. Having worked in tech skilling space for almost 3 decades, Techademy offers one of the most comprehensive catalogues for tech learning featuring all the top skills along with its integrated Learning Experience Platform for high-impact learning. Create personalized learning journeys for your Pharma tech learners with the help of skilling experts at Techademy.