According to BioTalent Canada’s labour market research, 65,000 more workers will be needed by 2029 to sustain the Canadian bio-economy. Industry research and consensus also confirm that one of the largest gaps in terms of skilled talent is working in a sterile cleanroom – a critical component of any bio-manufacturing facility. With a renewed focus on Canadian vaccine production, demand for qualified workers in cleanroom environments has never been higher.
Working with subject matter experts, BioTalent Canada is developing a practical certification assessment to address talent shortages within cleanroom environments. This will involve extensive research to devise a collection of questions, tasks and scenarios so that candidates can confidently demonstrate their learned competencies to small- and medium-sized (SME) employers.
The project will also investigate the opportunity to revolutionize learning by building a dynamic Virtual Reality (VR) digital twin of a bio-manufacturing cleanroom. The VR solution has the potential to create an immersive experience for training and assessment purposes.
Training skilled talent to help Canada’s bio-economy grow
Developing an industry-driven certification assessment will help SMEs:
- Build a pipeline of qualified talent with industry-validated cleanroom competencies;
- Provide a clear and structured path for cleanroom skills training; and
- Promote inclusivity in the bio-manufacturing industry by integrating Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (IDEA) into designing the certification practical assessment.
Helping SMEs recruit with confidence
Designed using BioTalent Canada’s National Skills Standard for Cleanroom Technicians, this practical certification assessment enhances an SMEs recruitment strategy by:
- Increasing adaptability;
- Identifying and selecting candidates with the requisite cleanroom skills; and
- Assessing and recognizing skills in the labour market while eliminating skills mismatches.
Research:
To create the practical certification assessment for cleanroom technicians, BioTalent Canada will conduct in-depth research, involving several methods and research stages, including:
- Focus groups and interviews with 30 bio-manufacturing companies across Canada.
- Consultation with subject matter experts as well as industry experts in certification design and assessment.
- A pilot project in a physical bio-manufacturing cleanroom.
If you are interested in supporting this project or learning more about its importance, please contact Adriana Saenz at [email protected].
National Skills Standard for Working in a Cleanroom Environment
The National Skills Standard for Cleanroom Readiness addresses the skills and knowledge required of individuals who work inside cleanroom environments at the operational/frontline level. These individuals work in bio-manufacturing, including automatic, semi-automatic and traditional (manual) aseptic manufacturing processes. An individual in this role should be able to perform well in a highly structured and disciplined environment.
This standard provides a framework for BioTalent Canada’s practical assessment and eventual cleanroom certification. The practical assessment will enable candidates to build competencies for working in a cleanroom environment and help small- and medium-sized employers gauge whether the talent they’re hiring has the needed skills and abilities. View the National Skills Standard for Cleanroom Readiness.
Practical Assessment for Certification is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre.
