Almac and SRC to boost training for science careers

Training for science careers in Northern Ireland is set to receive a boost thanks to a partnership between Almac and Southern Regional College announced today.

The Craigavon-based pharmaceutical development company has said it will create eight scientific apprenticeships for SRC students, starting in September this year.

The announcement was made at the opening of a new state-of-the-art science laboratory at the Portadown campus of the College and will see Almac providing two year apprenticeships to16 to 24 year olds studying NVQ laboratory technician courses to Level 3.

Stephen Barr, Managing Director of Almac Sciences, who officially opened the new science laboratory, said: “Almac is committed to the development of effective partnerships withNorthern Ireland’s schools, colleges and universities and working with SRC on this initiative to train local young people for science careers is a great example of this.

“For eight young people September will mark the start of an exciting two years which will see them gain extremely valuable experience both from SRC staff in these wonderful new labs in Portadown and on the job training with our scientists at Almac.

“We believe initiatives like this are vital to ensure our workforce has the right skills for the future as we continue to expand our services to companies across the world in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.”

Science has not been studied at the Portadown Campus of SRC for over a decade and the new lab will also see the introduction of science courses ranging from adult returner programmes to degree level courses in applied science.

Brian Doran, Director of Southern Regional College, commented: “Our curriculum in the next five years will be aligned to industrial requirements in the greater Craigavon area.

“We are delighted to be working with Almac, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world, in delivering NVQ laboratory technician courses to Level 3 as part of the apprenticeship framework.

“This marks a significant milestone for the future delivery of science programmes in the greater Craigavon area and we look forward to taking forward our plans for the future development of science in our Portadown Campus.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about how to apply for the apprenticeships should go to www.src.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

About Almac Group

The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply, and IXRS® technology (IVRS/IWRS), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The company employs over 3,300 and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland.USoperations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California.

About SRC

Southern Regional Collegeis the largest further and higher Education College outside ofBelfastinNorthern Ireland. With a total of six campuses across the counties ofArmaghand Down and covering four district councils, the College offers first class education and an exciting learning environment for further and higher education.

At further education level, the College offers courses from BTEC Level 1 Diplomas, through NVQs, National Diplomas and A levels. Many of these are aimed at the full time market although many of these courses are available on a part time basis also. The College also offers Apprenticeship Training programmes where students can learn valuable trades to take into the workplace.

The College takes enrolments of approximately 35,000 students each year and employs over 1,100 staff.