Unchartered territory before HR managers in biotech

With biotechnology being spoken of as the next-big-thing, in the same league as IT today, it seems biotechnology too is set to take off just as information technology did some years ago.

But is it as easy a discipline to conquer as IT? It was the NIITs and Aptechs that were instrumental in churning out IT 'specialists' to keep the IT fire going and finally raging and then making India the IT super power that it is today.

Nobby Nazareth, of Nobby Nazareth Associates, says: "It is the proper infrastructure that will be central to our success in biotechnology too. That is where many of the institutions have failed in providing the necessary infrastructure."

The supply of biotechnologists may not be able to keep pace with the huge demand that is expected now that the sector is in the growth phase. Nazareth has a solution to that.

Companies may be forced to dilute on the qualifications that may be demanded. With there being not enough people with doctorates in biotechnology, biotech companies will begin to appoint the right kind of post-graduate students and train them for the requirements of the firms.

Says M S Rajagopal, director-sales and marketing of Jobstreet.com, an online job portal: "Biotech, in India, being in its nascent phase today, the job market in the sector is yet to take a concrete form. Those interested in taking to the sector are still trying to figure out where they can fit in."

One interesting aspect of the sector is the age profile in the sector. Says a top ranking official of Ma Foi Management Consultants: "Unlike the IT sector, the age profile in BT is very different. Many of those joining the sector are those with academic experience. So the chances of these people changing jobs is much less."

India has the third largest pool of biotechnologists today. This is next only to the United States and Britain. India's biotechnologists are 75,000 strong.

"We are still trying to understand the various aspects of recruitments in the biotechnology sector. As it is a new and developing sector, we have no reference points," said a HR manager of a biotechnology firm.