The Elevate Experience: A Broader Perspective of Biomanufacturing

When Diae el Azhari enrolled in CASTL’s Elevate program in September 2024, she had already been working in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly a decade. But when she and her husband decided to move to Canada, she saw it was also a good opportunity to broaden her knowledge and career horizons. 

“In Morocco, my work focused on registering pharma products in various African countries and working with partners around the world to facilitate the registration of their products in new markets,” Diae says. “So while I was very well versed in regulatory issues, I had no experience in how these products are actually manufactured.” 

Diae learned about CASTL and the Elevate program at a job fair organized by ACCES Employment prior to making the move to Canada. She believed the program would not only expand her working knowledge but could also open the door to potential new career opportunities. 

“Manufacturing biological products is a critical part of global health and I was eager to increase my skills in that area,” she says. “It's the future.” 

Elevate proved to be an ideal introduction. 

“The way the program and coursework were organized was very helpful,” says Diae. “The onboarding sessions, the combination of technical lectures and hands-on work, and useful information about employment searches provided a very well-rounded curriculum.” 

Diae particularly appreciated how the training content was directly linked to positions in the biomanufacturing field. 

“Upstream processing, downstream processing, good clinical practices, GMP—they are all fundamental to the work of technicians in biomanufacturing lab environments,” she says.  

Her training colleagues also enhanced the learning experience. 

“We were a diverse group of six people, coming from different countries and different backgrounds,” Diae continues. “In addition to our instructors who had much industry expertise, my cohort included an immunologist, a chemist, and a lawyer. Sharing our practical experiences and perspectives created a very rich learning environment.” 

But it was the onsite training week that Diae considered to be the cherry on top. 

“That week was perfect,” she says. “It was an opportunity to apply what we learned in the previous five weeks, and it was the first time I had the chance to be in a realistic Canadian workspace with Canadian professionals.” 

For Diae, Elevate is a very pragmatic program; it demonstrates the realities of the day-to-day work of a laboratory technician and provides a solid foundation in biomanufacturing principles, techniques, and processes.   

“Having a thorough understanding of the biomanufacturing side of the sector is a tremendous asset, both for my own personal knowledge in my current work as well as for future career options.” 

Since completing the program, Diae continues to be impressed by the Elevate community. 

“The CASTL team does such a great job of keeping people engaged and motivated,” she says. “They share job postings and networking opportunities, follow up with graduates, encourage people to share their successes, and make themselves available to answer questions or provide advice.” 

While Diae continues her regulatory work remotely from her Ontario home, she is enthusiastically referring others to the program. 

“I really enjoyed the program and I’m certain it will benefit anyone who is looking for opportunities in the biomanufacturing sector,” she says. “I recommend Elevate to everyone I know.” 

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This article is part of a series that celebrates some of the many success stories that have emerged from Elevate, CASTL’s national biomanufacturing training program. Designed for young workers, new Canadians, and others seeking out career opportunities in Canada’s biosciences sector, Elevate teaches the technical skills needed to fill entry-level positions in this fast-growing industry. 

Applications to the Elevate program are open, apply here to take part in one of our upcoming cohorts.

The program is made possible through funding from Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills, and the Government of Canada.