5 Benefits of a Network Partners Regulatory Affairs Apprentice

Too much work and not enough resources?

It’s time to work happier! Here are 5 Benefits of a Network Partners Regulatory Affairs Apprentice

In our current economy, we find medical device clients have trouble filling key positions; regulatory affairs professionals being one of the most challenging. We listened to the voice of the customer and developed the Network Partners Apprentice Leadership Program. With limited oversight, our Regulatory Affairs Apprentices can complete your project work beginning the first day. Our program fills the industry need for entry level regulatory affairs professionals with both strong foundational knowledge and hands on experience.

Below are the five benefits of hiring a Network Partners Regulatory Affairs Apprentice and how our Apprentices can meet business objectives, work on-site with flexible contracts and complete projects on-time and on-budget, allowing you to work happier.

An Entry-Level RA Professional with Industry Knowledge

Identifying you need a regulatory affairs professional is the easy part. Identifying that perfect fit is where we come in. Network Partners bridges the gap between a traditional entry level person and someone with the right working knowledge to be effective. Network Partners Apprentices have over 350 hours of classroom training which includes hands-on, medical device regulatory affairs training. We’ve accelerated the learning curve with our industry leading bootcamp and impart 1-2 years of functional experience using simulated exercises and drawing on our SMEs real world experiences.

“The program builds upon what has been learned through a traditional Regulatory Master’s Program; digging deeper into critical areas of regulatory affairs along with allowing for training on cross-functional disciplines allows for a greater understanding and appreciation of the profession. The classroom training is supplemented with practical, real-world exercises such as writing FDA submissions and authoring EU Technical Documentation. Receiving real time feedback from experienced SMEs creates an invaluable learning environment. This program sets our Apprentices up for success and provides our clients with a truly work-ready entry level Regulatory Affairs professional.”

— Nicholas Werner, Director of Policy & Education, Network Partners

In addition to technical regulatory affairs training, the program exposes Apprentices to critical cross functional disciplines adjacent to regulatory affairs, such as Labeling, Clinical Evaluations, Project Management and Packaging Engineering.

The leadership training component attracts the best and brightest candidates to the program. Network Partners’ Leadership team trains Apprentices on key business elements for becoming a successful regulatory affairs professional and future industry leader. There is a concentrated focus on effective communication skills, public speaking, professionalism in the workplace, knowledge of strengths and personality traits, all of which provide a deeper self-awareness and hone leadership skills.

Network Partners’ Apprentice Leadership Program provides Apprentices the foundational knowledge necessary to be work ready and supports continual training with a team of industry Subject Matter Experts.

Full Time Employee (FTE) vs. Contracted Position

Project work doesn’t stop because the RA team is short on resources. If work is stacking up, consider hiring a contracted regulatory affairs professional. Contracted positions have an added benefit of being more than 2x more productive than traditional FTEs due to the amount of time they can dedicate to a project*, and 100% of the cost associated with contract labor can be capitalized.

Network Partners can reduce turnover rates often associated with hiring traditional contractors and eliminate non-productive time spent on the hiring process. Apprentices are A-Players with strong technical acumen and possess three essential characteristics for business success – humble, hungry and people smart.

This is Not a Traditional “Contractor”

The term contractor often carries a negative stigmatism due to decades of data indicating contractors are either between jobs, unemployable, or only working a contract role until a “real job” comes along; harsh, but true.

It’s extremely difficult to find someone working a 12-month contracted assignment who is the most qualified candidate, dedicated to the project and team, committed to finishing the entire contract and resides within driving distance to your company’s front door.

After years of trying to find the right entry level people for contracted roles, we developed the Apprentice Leadership Program, effectively removing the negative elements associated with traditional contractors and replacing the traditional model with uniquely trained, work ready and entry level regulatory affairs professional to meet our client’s needs.

Network Partners Apprentices check all the boxes

✔  Graduated top of their class with a Masters’ degree in Regulatory Affairs and some have previous medical device industry experience
✔ Completed over 350 hours of medical device regulatory affairs training
✔ Full time, W2 employees of Network Partners with competitive pay, full benefits, PTO & holiday pay, training and performance incentives
✔ Committed to the Network Partners 3-year Apprentice Leadership Program – not only is this a real job, it’s the start of a very promising career
✔ Apprentices finish assignments. No flight risk associated with typical contracted positions.
✔ Placed on-site at the client’s location for a 12-18 month assignment

Additionally, each Apprentice is assigned a Network Partners manager/mentor to answer their questions, and provide additional industry knowledge and support. We believe we’re building the next generation of industry leaders. Continuous training and mentoring of the Apprentices are key components for building strong leadership skills.

Effectively Utilize Project Funds for a Regulatory Affairs Contracted Resource

Successfully positioning contracted resources to receive funding is a crucial component for all managers. Clients who leverage the specific budgets associated with project work have the best success rate in hiring a contracted resource. Project budgets typically have funding for resources and tapping into the company’s funding for these projects is the best way to fund an Apprentice to get the necessary work done.

The annualized cost of an Apprentice is comparable to a fully burdened full-time employee, especially when considering the dedicated time to specific project work, de-risking the hiring process and cost of time not spent hiring and training the wrong resource. We use a real-world model to demonstrate the actual value of a contracted regulatory affairs professional.

It’s Time to Work Happier

It’s a common challenge for regulatory managers; too much work, not enough qualified resources – a combination that doesn’t translate into work life balance. Change the paradigm. Hire an entry level regulatory affairs professional with specific industry training and strong SME support to answer questions, manage and mentor. With a Network Partners Apprentice, you’re not getting a resource to manage, you’re getting someone who is work ready and can get projects completed on-time and on-budget. If that sounds like the balance you’ve been missing, let’s discuss your project work and see how an Apprentice from Network Partners can help you work happier!

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* Based on a study from AtTask conducted by Harris Poll, based on U.S. employees at companies with 1,000 or more employees. Employees only spend 45% of their time on their primary job duties.