In our upcoming October issue of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, we'll be taking a look at some of the critical workforce training issues that drug manufacturers are facing today. As part of my research, I spoke today with Steve Sawin, president of Operon Resource Management, a firm which helps drug and device manufacturers train and manage their workers, and in particular their contingent workforces.

Just read Mina Kime's enlightening account of the J&J McNeil quality disaster in Fortune. Forget about the fact that the adulterated products did not and most likely would not have harmed consumers, the problems cited are very serious and go straight to the heart of GMP's. 

Did any of you catch that recent WSJ report on the negative impact of mass layoffs? OK, I know that M&A layoffs are different, but today brought the sad news that Pfizer/Wyeth will lay off 6,000 employees and close eight of its manufacturing plants in Ireland, Puerto Rico and the U.S.

I recently interviewed Michelle Alton, a senior pharma professional who is in the middle of a job search. The market is tough out there, she says, and networking is key.

Today I came across the blog of Michelle Alton, a career pharma professional who has found herself recently unemployed. Alton has chosen to spend her "downtime" and job search proactively--travelling, blogging, and exploring LinkedIn and other professional networking sites.

I've always found one of the most evocative terms in the Toyota lexicon to be “gemba” ----the real place, or as it has more poetically been translated, “the place where truth will be found.”  The word already implies that you may have preconceived notions of what the truth is and need a reality check. What better way to define the workplace, whether that's a laboratory or a factory?

If you're Irish and unemployed, you may be eligible for a free pharma course leading to a Diploma in Bioprocess Engineering, courtesy of Dundalk Institute of Technology. To those who quality, the institute is offering classes in:

• GMP & Regulatory Affairs
• Research Design, Statistics & Ethics
• Industrial Microbiology *

Roche has begun to make cuts at Genentech, in South San Francisco and at other sites. Roche maintains that it plans to cut "little or no" manufacturing workers.

--PWT

Did anyone miss President Obama's recent announcement that he plans to put an end to corporate tax loopholes (a mainstay for every major pharma and biotech company in the world....)More from Bloomberg and the President himself.