New service gives companies practical tools, expert support, and a clear plan to strengthen skills, performance, and long-term growth.

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI, April 8, 2026 /CNW/ - The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) today announced the launch of its Learning & Development (L&D) Support Services, designed to help life sciences organizations build workforce capability, improve onboarding and performance, and support long-term growth.

For many life sciences companies, building workforce capability can be a complex and persistent challenge. Training needs are often addressed reactively, gaps can reappear even after previous training, and there may be limited time or internal expertise to create a long-term workforce development plan.

CASTL's L&D Support Services are designed to help organizations move beyond short-term fixes toward a more strategic approach to workforce development. With practical support, structured tools, and expert guidance, CASTL helps clients define role expectations, identify skill gaps, and build the foundation for stronger long-term capability.

Depending on each organization's needs, clients can access tools and support such as skills mapping, skills matrices, gap analysis, competency frameworks, train-the-trainer, coaching and mentoring, upskilling, and succession planning. Together, these services help organizations clarify role expectations, identify skill gaps, align training with business needs, strengthen internal knowledge transfer, support employee growth into new responsibilities, and improve decision-making around hiring, development, and long-term workforce planning.

In practical terms, companies gain a clear picture of the capabilities required across their teams, where the most important gaps exist, and how to address them. With this foundation in place, CASTL can also provide the strategic support needed to build learning systems that strengthen onboarding, performance, and long-term growth.

"The strength of Canada's life sciences sector depends on our ability to develop and sustain a highly skilled workforce," said Penny Walsh-McGuire, CEO of CASTL. "As organizations grow and technologies evolve, employers need more structured and strategic approaches to developing their people. These new services are part of CASTL's broader commitment to helping the sector build the talent, capability, and resilience needed for long-term success."

CASTL's L&D Support Services are flexible and can be tailored to an organization's stage of growth, priorities, and internal capacity. CASTL can support internal L&D teams, HR leaders, operational managers, and subject matter experts, or provide fractional L&D support for organizations that do not yet have in-house learning and development resources.

"CASTL is committed to being a strategic learning partner for life sciences organizations," said Lee McKinley, Director of Learning and Development at CASTL. "In this sector, learning directly supports operational readiness, quality, and long-term growth. Our goal is to help organizations build the competence they need today while strengthening the capability they will need tomorrow."

With the launch of its Learning and Development Support Services, CASTL reinforces its commitment to helping life sciences organizations build stronger teams, stronger systems, and greater readiness for the future.

To learn more about CASTL's Learning and Development Support Services, visit our website, or contact Lee McKinley, Director of Learning and Development, at lee@castlcanada.ca

About CASTL 

The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) is Canada's biomanufacturing training partner, dedicated to developing skilled talent to drive the country's thriving biomanufacturing sector. With state-of-the-art, GMP-simulated facilities from coast to coast (in Charlottetown, PE; Montreal QC, and Vancouver, BC), CASTL delivers hands-on, industry-informed training alongside flexible online learning. As Canada's exclusive provider of National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) programs, CASTL offers world-class education with support from adMare BioInnovations, shaping the next generation of life sciences professionals.

SOURCE CASTL Canada