Free & 90% Funded Programmes under Springboard Initiative
The Springboard initiative is now open for applicants commencing programmes in September 2018 and all applicants can now receive funding towards their programme whether in employment or actively seeking employment
How much does the programme cost?
Courses will be free for employed people on NFQ Level 6 courses. For employed participants on courses NFQ level 7 – 9, 90% of the course fee will be funded by the Government, with participants required to contribute just 10% of the fee.
Will the programme affect my social welfare benefits?
The programme has no effect on a candidate’s social welfare benefits.
Candidates who wish to participate in Springboard + 2018 will find full details on the approved courses on the dedicated information and applications website springboardcourses.ie
Springboard + at NIBRT
NIBRT programmes are specifically designed to meet the requirements of the biopharmaceutical industry and the job seeking candidate including:
- A strong track record of NIBRT candidates obtaining employment in the pharma / biopharma sector
- Hands-on practical placements in NIBRT’s award winning facilities to provide candidates with the practical skills and experience required by Industry.
- Modules in career support and development.
- Instructors with extensive experience in training the biopharmaceutical industry.
- Placements in Industry for top performing Springboard graduates.
Current Springboard Courses
The L7 Certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology has been developed in consultation with the (bio)pharmaceutical industry in Ireland, to ensure the course offers the skills and experience that is required for this growing sector in Ireland.
Biotechnology, Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical manufacturing are key sectors in the Irish economy generating over 50% of GDP. In the last 18 months >3,800 jobs have been announced in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. These include job announcements from BMS, Alexion, BioMarin, Pfizer and Shire. These companies are providing high value and stable employment.
A key challenge to job seekers in this sector is the requirement to have prior experience in a highly regulated (bio)pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. To help job seekers overcome this challenge, NIBRT and IT Tallaght have continued to enhance their successful Level 7 Springboard programme. The L7 Certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology has been developed in consultation with the (bio)pharmaceutical industry in Ireland, to ensure the course offers the skills and experience that is required for this growing sector in Ireland.
In addition, students will attend NIBRT for practical training in both semester 1 and semester 2. Students will also be offered a CV Preparation module and workshop.
Course Information
| NFQ level | 7 |
| Award | Level 7 Certificate in Pharmaceutical Technology |
| Provider | NIBRT/IT Tallaght |
| Programme code | |
| Delivery | Online |
| Duration | 9 months |
| Application closing date | 31st August 2018 |
Modules
| Process Biotechnology | |
| Manufacturing and Process Technology | |
| Environmental Management | |
| Technology Transfer | |
| Process Biotechnology 2 | |
| cGMP |
The Certificate in Quality Analytics for Biopharma (Level 9; 10 credits) is a special purpose award developed by IT Sligo in collaboration with NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training).
The Certificate in Quality Analytics for Biopharma (Level 9; 10 credits) is a special purpose award developed by IT Sligo in collaboration with NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training).
The primary focus of this SPA is the emerging Biopharmaceutical industry sector in Ireland and overseas and these awards are being developed and offered in partnership with NIBRT. The Bioanalytics practical laboratory element in this proposed special purpose award is a very attractive option for personnel seeking laboratory hands on experience.
This course is particularly suited to provide the core skills to transition those individuals with some previous experience as operators or lab. technicians to similar roles within the rapidly-expanding Biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector and also to more specialised roles. The course is structured to include the requisite knowledge, skills and professional competence required to be part of this workforce and has a large practical component (50%) associated with it.
The programme is open to students who have obtained an honours degree (Level 8) or its equivalent in an appropriate discipline (i.e. Engineering or Life Sciences). Experiential learning will be assessed under the Institute’s Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) process.
Course Information
| NFQ level | 9 |
| Award | Certificate in Quality Analytics for Biopharma - Level 9 |
| Provider | NIBRT |
| Programme code | SG_SQUAL_E09 |
| Delivery | Online |
| Duration | One year |
| Application closing date | 31st August 2018 |
Modules
| Bioanalytical techniques | |
| Biopharmaceutical analytic techniques practical module |
Biopharmaceutical Science involves study of the discovery, development and processing of modern, medical drugs by artificially growing some or all of the components utilising cell culture technologies. The
The Medical Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutical sectors are among the fastest growing in the Life Sciences area both nationally and internationally. This programme is jointly offered by IT Sligo and NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training). The programme is open to students who have obtained an honours degree (Level 8) or its equivalent, in an appropriate discipline (i.e. Engineering or Life Sciences). Other candidates with alternative honours degrees and experience in the bioprocessing industry may pursue the Certificate after completion of two prerequisite modules:Principles of Cell Biology for Biopharmaceutical Science and Principles of Biotechnology for Biopharmaceutical Science. Experiential learning will be assessed under the Institute’s Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) process. It is the overall aim of this postgraduate course to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills to become part of the Pharmaceutical, Healthcare or Biotechnology workforce. This is achieved through completing online modules that have been designed in conjunction with the Biopharma industry with whom NIBRT and IT Sligo are closely aligned. This course is particularly suited to individuals who may have worked in similar industries and are looking to enter the Biopharma manufacturing sector for the first time.
Course Information
| NFQ level | 9 |
| Award | Level 9 Certificate in Science in Biopharmaceutical Science |
| Provider | NIBRT |
| Programme code | SG_SBIOP_E09 |
| Delivery | Online |
| Duration | 9 months |
Modules
| Fermentation and cell culture processing | |
| Upstream Processing Lab | |
| Biocontamination monitoring and control | |
| Bioprocess scaleup and technology transfer | |
| Protein purification processing | |
| Legislation and regulatory affairs | |
| Formulation and delivery systems | |
| Downstream bioprocessing lab practical |
The Certificate in Science Biopharmaceutical Processing (Special Purpose Award – Level 7) has been developed in consultation with the Biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland to ensure the course offers the skill and experience that is required for this growing industry sector in Ireland.
The course has been developed and is offered in conjunction with NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training) with all of the laboratory work taking place at their state-of-the-art training facility in Dublin.
The course is offered in a fully-online manner utilising IT Sligo’s online delivery technologies which will minimise the amount of student time required to travel and attend at either IT Sligo or NIBRT. The Certificate develops specialised theoretical and practical discipline skills in the areas of Bioprocess Engineering, Facilities and Utilities, Lean Sigma, Biocontamination control and Biovalidation. Graduates from the Certificate in Bioprocess Engineering are ideally positioned to contribute to the Biopharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Medical Diagnostics, Medical device and Pharmaceutical sectors.
Course Information
| NFQ level | 7 |
| Award | Level 7 Certificate of Science in Bioprocessing Engineering |
| Provider | IT Sligo/NIBRT |
| Programme code | SG_SBIOE_E07 |
| Delivery | Online |
| Duration | 9 months |
| Application closing date | 31st August 2018 |
The course has been developed and is offered in conjunction with NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training) with all of the laboratory work taking place at their state-of-the-art training facility in Dublin.
The Certificate in Science Biopharmaceutical Processing (Special Purpose Award – Level 7) has been developed in consultation with the Biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland to ensure the course offers the skill and experience that is required for this growing industry sector in Ireland.
The course is offered in a fully-online manner utilising IT Sligo’s online delivery technologies which will minimise the amount of student time required to travel and attend at either IT Sligo or NIBRT.
The course is offered in a online manner utilising IT Sligo’s online delivery technologies. Students are required to travel to NIBRT for two days practical training per semester for the Cell Culture and the Protein Purification module.
Course Information
| NFQ level | 7 |
| Award | Level 7 Certificate in Biopharmaceutical Processing |
| Provider | IT Sligo/NIBRT |
| Programme code | SG_SBIOP_E07 |
| Delivery | Online |
| Duration | 9 months |
| Application closing date | 31st August 2018 |
Modules
| Cell Culture Processing | |
| Facilities and utilities | |
| Protein purification | |
| Formulation and fill-finish |
This online course has been designed in conjunction with the biopharmaceutical industry, with whom NIBRT/IT Sligo are closely aligned.
The course is designed to introduce current manufacturing processes, good manufacturing practices and current industry trends to the participants. The course is aimed at process operators, technicians, technologists, and production team leaders, primarily seeking employment or wishing to upskill in the bioprocessing and cleanroom areas.
The modules offered in this programme include Upstream Processing, Downstream Processing, Sterile Fill Finish and Bioanalytics. These modules have been developed in consultation with the biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland to ensure the course offers the skills and experience that is required for this growing industry sector.
Course Information
| NFQ Level | 6 |
| Provider | NIBRT/IT Sligo |
| Programme code | SG_SBIOP_E06 |
| Delivery | Online |
| Application closing date | 31st August 2018 |
| Award | Level 6 Certificate in Science in Biopharmaceutical Processing |
| Duration | 9 months |
Modules
| Downstream Bioprocessing | |
| Sterlie fill finish for biologics | |
| Bioanalytical techniques | |
| Upstream Bioprocessing | |
| Effectiveness and employability |
What are the job opportunities in the biopharma industry?
The Biopharmaceutical industry has made a capital investment of approximately $8 billion in new facilities in Ireland, most of which has come in the last 10 years.
This represents close to the biggest wave of investment in new BioTech facilities anywhere in the world. Ireland is now the 7th largest exporter of medicine and pharmaceutical products in the world, with the amount of products exported annually reaching €39bn.
Graduates from NIBRT’s Springboard courses are well positioned for opportunities in the related pharma, medical devices and food science industries.
NIBRT also holds an annual Careers in Biopharma jobs fair.
Application process
As places are limited, candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as the program is officially launched. Courses start in August-September 2018 and candidates should apply via www.springboardcourses.ie (use “NIBRT” as keyword to search for the course of interest) Please contact springboard@nibrt.ie and we'd be delighted to answer any questions you may have.
Course Level Guidelines
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Level 6 courses are suitable for candidates with Leaving Cert or equivalent qualifications
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Level 7 courses are suitable for candidates with a Level 6 in science, engineering or related discipline
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Level 8 courses are suitable for candidates with an ordinary degree in science, engineering or related discipline
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Level 9 courses are suitable for candidates with an honours degree in science, engineering or related discipline
Registration:
Places on these courses are allocated on a first come, first served basis and the courses fill rapidly
Candidates are encouraged to apply today via www.springboardcourses.ie
NIBRT Springboard+ Queries
Please contact springboard@nibrt.ie
The NIBRT Online Training Academy
Coming soon the National Institute of Bioprocessing & Training Online Training Academy offering an online portal for biopharmaceutical industry training courses.