While clinical trial volumes increase globally, not enough qualified, experienced clinical research staff, especially Clinical Research Associates (CRA), are available to support and monitor the trials. The shortage has been identified as a growing issue in the clinical research industry and has evolved within the last 10 years. Neither biopharmaceutical sponsors nor research organizations were able to provide sufficient skills training to meet the drug industry’s research needs.
To address that shortage and prepare students for careers in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as strengthen the commitment to the global biopharmaceutical workforce, PAREXEL founded the PAREXEL Academy in Berlin in 2001. Today, the PAREXEL Academy has locations in the United States, Europe, and Asia, offering a wide range of learning programs tailored to fostering clinical research management practices for learners inside and outside of PAREXEL.
One of the many courses the PAREXEL Academy provides is the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Trial Management, offered in cooperation with Salem State University in Salem, MA, and the National University of Singapore.
Program Details
The six-month program features a broad-based curriculum in various components of the full life cycle of drug development and provides participants with in-depth knowledge and cutting-edge industry insights. It blends theory with practice and employs authentic case studies to ensure effective learning and immediate application in the workplace. Within the lectures/seminars/training and a three-month practical working assignment, participants perform role-plays, independent research, and task-based learning activities. Each module has a compulsory final assessment (written exam, presentation, or practical exercises). After completion, program graduates immediately are added to PAREXEL’s Talent Acquisition pool.
Results
To evaluate the impact of the Postgraduate Certificate programs on newly hired, regular full-time research staff’s performance in terms of time-to-billability (TtB percent)—the percentage of time an employee conducts fully billable work—the timeliness of finalization of Monitoring Site Visit Reports (SVRs), and year-end performance ratings (“PMD ratings”), an impact study was conducted comparing performance of program graduates with non-graduates PAREXEL hired externally.
The study findings show a vast difference in the percentage of time-to-billability between graduates and non-graduates in the first 90 days. Program graduates were performing 60 percent billable work in the first month of their tenure, and they reached up to 90 percent at the end of the third month. In contrast, non-graduates performed at 16 percent (first month) and 78 percent (after 90 days), respectively. PAREXEL’s target of 95 percent time-to-billability was achieved by program graduates approximately two months earlier compared to non-graduates. Graduates were consistently able to finalize the reports in less than 10 business days, which is the target. The study reported higher promotion rates for graduates compared to non-graduates in the same job positions. In fiscal year 2015, for example, 20 percent of the graduates received a promotion; for the non-graduates, the promotion rate was lower, at 17 percent.
For the 800-plus participants of the Postgraduate Certificate programs, 68 percent were hired upon completion by PAREXEL, and 32 percent by sponsors and competitors. The 100 percent success rate of hiring on completion demonstrates premium quality and high market relevance of this program. Due to these positive results, this program became a company best practice, and the content and design framework are being applied to other programs implemented at PAREXEL Academy worldwide.
