CIPD & HIGH PERFORMING WORKING IN PHARMACEUTICALS

CIPD & high performing working in Pharmaceuticals

CIPD & high performing working in Pharmaceuticals

Introduction

The CIPD is the professional body for those involved in people management and development, encompassing personnel, human resources and training professionals. The Institute has over 120,000 members, approximately 40,000 of whom have a responsibility for training and development activities within my pharmaceutical company. The CIPD supports assertions that investment in skills is necessary if the UK is to close the productivity gap with other major economies. Studies, such as Michael Porter's for the DTI, have highlighted the significant contribution that human capital makes to the competitive advantage of pharmaceutical like Glaxo Smith Kline & Novartis. (Purcell, 2003)

Rapid economic change and faster depreciation of new skills have led to a greater need for our pharmaceutical company to invest in ongoing training, to ensure that employees' skills are constantly update. There is a good reason to suppose that these skills requirements will go on rising. Yet not all pharmaceutical like Glaxo Smith Kline engage in skills development for all their staff and there remain a high proportion of adults in employment with poor literacy and/or numeracy skills.

On the other hand Novartis is reporting widespread skills shortages. Recent CIPD research found that over 85 per cent of UK respondents had difficulties recruiting last year. Lack of specialist skills was most commonly cited as the reason for recruitment difficulties.

As such, measures announced in the Government's Skills White Paper to tackle skills shortages are welcome, but they will only be effective if they tackle the confusion surrounding the number of different government initiatives, deliver a genuine shift away from an overbearing focus on qualifications and targets and towards a genuine, employer-led approach. (Reichers, 1985)

CIPD research findings

Pharmaceutical Organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors train for a purpose. Activity in Glaxo Smith Kline in concentrated on business objectives - profitability, meeting competitive challenges, or the efficient delivery of services. Training is an intervention by the organisation intended to achieve these objectives. Training is part of wider people management and development practices. An increased supply of skills into the workplace may not be enough on its own to improve productivity and performance. (Schabracq, 2003)

A shift in focus is taking place - from training to learning. Learning is the process by which a person constructs new knowledge, skills and capabilities, whereas training is one of several responses that my pharmaceutical company can undertake to promote learning.

There is an inequality in access to workplace learning. Better-education people and those in higher social classes are more likely to receive training. Small companies are also less likely to provide training for their employees.

The government focus on qualifications and targets rather than skills acquisition relating to the workplace has caused concern among employers. The failure of the education system to equip all young people with the basic and generic skills needed to bridge the transition into the workforce is also an ongoing ...