We caught up with Finbarr Sheehy, Director for Programme Development, to discuss Innopharma's background and learn more about the wide range of courses on offer.
Finbarr joined Innopharma in 2008 as Education Director before moving into the role of Director for Programme Development. With over 25 years of senior experience within the Semiconductor and Pharmaceutical industries, his knowledge of both industries
is second to none. His expertise lies in Strategy development, process improvement, innovation as well as career development and coaching. The most rewarding aspect of the job for him is providing people with the skills and expertise to progress in
their careers. Finbarr lectures on several of Innopharma Labs courses and brings an array of industry connections to the team.
Why Choose Innopharma?
‘Innopharma was set up in 2008 by a core group of people with strong industry backgrounds and strong links to academia.
The company exists in two parts: an award-winning technology company that is involved in pharmaceutical innovation, and an education section that specialises in upskilling people for the pharmaceutical, medical device and food industries.
Our industry experience, an extensive network of industry contacts and the flexibility of our courses give us a unique edge in the market. From your initial enquiry right through to job interview preparation, all our courses are designed with your career
in mind.’
Real Career Advancement
‘We offer courses from level 6 right up to a level 9 Masters across the three primary areas of pharma, food and medical devices. These courses are specially designed to advance you through each level of your career.
A significant number of people who choose to study with us are those who are keen to advance their careers further. A number of other students are those who join as part of the Springboard programme, who are unemployed and seeking to build a career in
the pharma/medtech/food industries. We have an excellent track record of student employment with an average of 70% of graduates going on to work in pharma/medtech/food and advance their careers.’
Pharmaceutical Courses
‘We start off with a level 6 certificate level course, which is suitable for somebody who has a trade qualification, or who may just have a leaving certificate qualification. This course level is perfect for people trying to get into the industry
in a junior role, for example, an operator or in a technician role.
The next levels we offer are level 7 and level 8 degree level courses. These courses are aimed at those looking to advance further from operator roles to engineering roles, process roles, technician roles, maintenance roles, validation roles, supply chain
roles or regulatory roles.
Beyond Level 8 we also offer three masters degree courses from which a student can choose. These are suitable for people who would like to advance their careers into clinical research, clinical trials, quality control, managerial roles and
also data analytics.’
Food Science Courses
‘We also offer courses in the areas of food where you will fully grasp why food science is so important.
Our level 6 courses are ideal for those who want to work as operators, primarily in food manufacturing.
Our level 8 course is suitable for people who want to get involved in food production, quality control or food development.
At level 9, we offer courses for people who want to get into more specifics in terms of research and product development.’
Medical Device Courses
‘MedTech is one of the fastest growing industries in Ireland and offers great opportunities for anyone looking to move to a rapidly expanding area. For those who would like to upskill for a Medical Device career, we offer courses allowing for advancement
as either an engineer, an operator or as a quality control professional.’
Full Accreditation
‘Our two main education partners are Griffith College and ITT Dublin, who validate all our courses, we also have links to universities in both Scandinavia and the US. All our courses are also validated by QQI (previously NFQ/HETAC). ‘
Take The Next Steps Towards Your Exciting New Career
'Information on all our courses is available on our website https://www.innopharmaeducation.com/. You can also call us
on 01 485 3346 and we will be happy to talk through your options on how you can begin the next step in your career.’
Anyone looking to return to employment can also find out more on Springboardcourses.ie.