Singapore Unveils Workforce Development Plans for Biopharmaceutical Sector
The Singapore Workforce Development Agency collaborated with governmental groups and industry players to develop a plan to supply biologics-manufacturing workforce demand.
The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), and Biopharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Advisory Council (BMAC) unveiled a manpower roadmap for the fast-growing biologics manufacturing industry, WDA announced in a press release Dec. 5, 2014. The Sectoral Manpower Development Plan (SMDP) for biologics manufacturing was jointly developed by WDA, EDB, and BMAC with the support of industry players, including AbbVie, Amgen, Baxter, GlaxoSmithKline, Lonza, Novartis, and Roche.
The plan examines the future demand and supply of skilled manpower and available career progression and recommends a set of strategies to meet the demand for skilled workers, improve the relevance of training programs, and attract and retain talent. The SMDP for the biologics manufacturing industry will be incorporated into a more comprehensive Sectoral Manpower Strategy for the wider biopharmaceutical sector. The Sectoral Manpower Strategies, which are a key focus area for the newly formed SkillsFuture Council, will identify sector-specific career progression pathways and skills requirements, as well as outline initiatives to help Singaporeans advance in these pathways.
“The biologics manufacturing sector has grown rapidly over the past few years, and we expect continued strong interest from the industry. This sector creates highly skilled jobs and offers excellent career progression opportunities. EDB will work closely with WDA and the various industry partners to augment the skilled talent pool and ensure that Singaporeans are well positioned to capture these opportunities through the SMDP initiatives,” said Yeoh Keat Chuan, managing director, EDB, in a press release.
Collectively, the various SMDP initiatives aim to build a pipeline of skilled local manufacturing talent in Singapore to support the rapidly growing biologics industry. Over the past five years, the biologics manufacturing industry has attracted $2.7 billion in investments over nine manufacturing facilities by various key industry players. These manufacturing facilities will employ nearly 2000 people in total. In addition, the local workforce is set to expand further with an additional 700 to 1000 high-value jobs over the next four years, WDA said in a press release.
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