Staff from within

Human clinical trials are for the benefit of people, and it’s people who make them happen – every single employee along the line is vital.

However, currently, there aren’t enough of them. Clinical drug research is experiencing a serious talent shortage that could last into the 2030’s according to some experts – all during a period of rapid innovation in methodology, technology, and growth into new regions when more staff are needed to keep up.

Using FSP models to deliver a mix of expertise, resource management and technological skills can create flexible and effective solutions for clients; however, it can mean that new staff are needed quickly and often. With the pool of skilled workers increasingly shallow, it can be tricky to go fishing for new hires.

So why do that, when you’re already surrounded by a sea of potential talent? Training and upskilling your existing workforce could be where the staffing solutions lie.

Who have you got?

• Recent graduates.

• They’re new, fresh, enthusiastic, and research-naïve, and utilising their existing skills, and the skills you can teach them, eliminates the often-impossible task of finding the perfect candidate externally. Implementing training programmes and developing raw talent can create that candidate within an existing company culture.

• Upskillers

• Change is good. Even the best jobs can feel stale after a while. Some staff may have joined the industry at one level with the hopes of moving to another – some have experienced an area they’d prefer, or a challenge they’d relish, along the way. Some might like to specialise – some might have skills they haven’t even realised yet. All of these types of staff could, with training and encouragement, move into roles that require filling.

How do you develop this talent?

• Implement bespoke training programmes. Build a workforce that’s learned to do things exactly the way you require by identifying the aptitudes of people you already know and training them accordingly.

• Mix senior and junior level staff. Working hands-on, alongside people who’ve seen and done it all is invaluable and the mix of the old and the new can be hugely beneficial.

• Create career ladders – whether your staff are complete newbies, or experienced hands, focusing on their careers with a clearly mapped out plan matching skills to roles and how to navigate them, will give them purpose, and indicate your faith in them.

• In short, identify, encourage, train, and develop.

The many benefits of talent development:

• The creation and expansion of a skilled workforce from the ground up.

• Continuity – creating a team with extensive specialised knowledge, tailor made to suit your company’s offering. 

• A comprehensive knowledge of processes and systems, maximising client service

• A healthy company culture cultivating camaraderie and loyalty.

• A positive company image – being the type of company that recognises and encourages the talent of workers can be extremely attractive to both clients and future employees too.

The staff of a company are its lifeblood, and while quick-fix hiring might fill a seat, giving time, consideration, and investment to developing long term staffing solutions will really pay off in the long run. By being far-sighted, and seeing the potential within, something really special can be grown from seed and the benefits of that will spread far and wide.