NIBRT Global Partner CASTL officially open new biomanufacturing training facility in Canada

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) officially open new CASTL biomanufacturing training facility located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

CASTL is the exclusive provider of the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) licensed training programmes in Canada. 

The new training facility contains state-of-the-art pilot-scale bioprocessing equipment that will allow employees to gain practical skills that are immediately transferable to process scale-up and clean room environments. The facility is equipped with laboratories and classroom spaces built to deliver the highest quality training to industry professionals. With this new facility, CASTL can deliver on-site customised training for entry-level employees through to senior management as well as post-secondary students.

The Charlottetown facility was made possible through a contribution of $2,335,000 from the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and $800,000 from the Province of Prince Edward Island. CASTL is supported by National Lead Partner adMare BioInnovations and its adMare Academy.

According to BioTalent Canada’s most recent labour market research, the Canadian bioscience and life science sector will need to hire an additional 65,000 new workers by 2029. CASTL will deliver on the economic demand for individuals who are work-ready to meet the skills and talent needs for Atlantic Canada’s bioeconomy as well as Canada’s fast-growing biomanufacturing sector.

Earlier this year, with support from the Government of Quebec, CASTL announced plans to open a biomanufacturing training facility in Montreal. Additional facility locations within Canada are being considered to ensure broad geographic access to this type of training across Canada.

CASTL is a key a member of the NIBRT global programme which includes partners in Philadelphia, Sydney, Guangzhou and South Korea. The NIBRT Global Partner Programme supports an international alliance of leading training and education organisations to help address the global shortage of a skilled biopharma workforce. The Global Partners Programme enables qualified organisations to license NIBRT’s expertise to provide biopharma training and education capability in their region. More information is available on the NIBRT Global Partner Programme here.

NIBRT staff John Milne (Director of Training), Kate Cotter (Associate Director of Training) and Shada Warreth (Senior Training Manager) were delighted to attend and support this momentous day at CASTL. NIBRT wish CASTL every success with their new facility and all future training endeavours and look forward to continuing to work in close partnership with CASTL on the provision of high quality training programmes.

For more information on CASTL’s Biomanufacturing Training Programs visit www.castlcanada.ca or email info@castlcanada.ca