Regulatory affairs apprenticeship standard approved

Posted on 06/06/2018

The Regulatory Affairs Specialist (Healthcare/Veterinary) apprenticeship standard has now been approved by the UK's Institute of Apprenticeships. 

The standard sets out the behaviours, skills and knowledge that apprentices must develop by the end of the 24- to 30-month apprenticeship. Having the standard in place will enable companies in the UK to use apprenticeship levy funds to pay for training of apprentices in all areas of regulatory affairs, including medical devices, medicines, veterinary and in vitro diagnostic devices. Outside the UK, the standard can be used as a benchmark against which to train and assess apprentices, and TOPRA’s apprenticeship training will be available to delegates from any country.

The development of the standard, which was facilitated by TOPRA as part of its commitment to improve the pipeline of talent coming into the profession, has been supported by a wide range of employers, including Pfizer, 3M, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BD, Brightwake, Clinical Professionals, Galderma, Global Regulatory Services Limited, Johnson & Johnson, Norgine, NSF, Segulah Consulting, SLE, TRAC services Ltd, Vectura, and Victrex PLC.

Samantha Alsbury, TOPRA’s Head of Professional Development, said: “Our next step is to gain approval for the end-point assessment plan which sets out the assessment that apprentices must complete in order to pass the apprenticeship. Employers will start recruiting apprentices soon so those interested in becoming an apprentice should keep an eye on the company websites and the TOPRA job board.”

Employers who wish to find out more about how to take advantage of this opportunity should email Samantha. Even companies who do not pay the levy can access funds to support the training of new or current staff.