The Irradiation Panel has the delivery of educational content supporting career development as a key objective.  We need to ensure that the next generation of professionals have access to training resources designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills to succeed.  Hands-on and in-person training is the ideal but is expensive and may not be accessible to all.

Designing training to meet the needs of this group has hopefully become easier in recent years by the activities of the Society of Sterility Assurance Professionals (SfSAP, see https://sfsap.org/).  This not-for-profit industry body has developed an open competency framework for practical application of sterilization technologies, supported by a detailed curriculum.

The Irradiation Panel (see: https://www.irradiationpanel.org/) is a body of experts supporting development and progress in the practice of radiation processing.  To facilitate the widescale training and development of the next generation within our industry we are developing on-line training courses based on the open curriculum of the SfSAP.  Our initial training course, currently in development, covers radiation sterilization at entry-level.  The subject and the content of this course was informed by feedback from a questionnaire on training needs circulated to Irradiation Panel members in 2023.  The courses we produce will be hosted on a commercial learning and development platform.  Understanding of course materials will be tested by completion of on-line assessments and students reaching an appropriate standard will receive a certificate.

It is planned for the pilot course on radiation sterilization to be complete by the end of 2024 and available for a modest fee to both Panel members and the wider radiation processing community in early 2025.