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Trainings

We're excited to offer in-person training sessions of our popular Packaging Dynamics Professional (ISTA PDP) Certification and Cold Chain courses prior to the ISTA Forum on Monday, March 24! Whether you're an experienced packaging professional looking to broaden your expertise or a newcomer seeking to gain essential knowledge, these training courses, led by industry experts, are great options to meet your specific needs.

Get a head start on your education and add a pre-forum training course to your ISTA Forum schedule:

ISTA Packaging Dynamics Professional Certification (ISTA PDP)

CC 201 | Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain

CC 301 | User Requirement Specification (URS) to Operational Qualification (OQ)



Already ISTA PDP Certified? Courses PDP 201, 202, 203, 204 and 205 qualify for 75 points towards ISTA PDP recertification.

Packaging Dynamics Professional (ISTA PDP) Certification

Monday, March 24 | 8:00am – 5:30pm | Additional Fee

Registration Available Soon!

This in-person event covers all six (6) courses required to obtain your ISTA Packaging Dynamics Professional (PDP) Certification.  Once you complete these courses and pass the exam, you will receive your certification as an ISTA Packaging Dynamics Professional.

PDP 101: Principles of Distribution Packaging is an introduction to various topics that affect distribution package design. Topics include understanding the various levels of packaging, corrugated fundamentals, sustainability, and the implications of packaging decisions. The hazards of supply chains, transportation modes, and different commerce channels will also be discussed.

The training objectives for this course include:

  • A better understanding of the roles of the different layers of packaging in distribution
  • An understanding of the fundamentals of corrugated and making sustainable packaging decisions
  • An understanding of the importance of preshipment testing and the role ISTA plays in the development & implementation of test standards
  • An understanding of various commerce and supply chain channels
  • A better understanding of the decision-making process related to packaging design and sustainability  

PDP 101 is followed by 5 additional 200-level courses:

  • PDP 201:  Atmospheric & Compression Hazards in Transit
  • PDP 202:  Shock & Drop Hazards in Transit
  • PDP 203:  Vibration Hazards in Transit
  • PDP 204:  Test Laboratory Operations & Instrumentation
  • PDP 205:  Test Procedures & Enhanced Simulation Testing

PDP 201 through 205 build on what is learned in PDP 101 to examine the hazards packages experience in our global distribution environment. The morning session will focus on packaging design, optimization and testing challenges associated with atmospheric, compression, shock, drop & vibration hazards in transit. The afternoon session will examine the importance & process of using test procedures in the lab to simulate shipping hazards in the environment. PDP coursework will emphasize techniques to get accurate & reliable data using test instrumentation. Finally, trainees will learn about the latest technology in test planning & reporting. 

In order to receive ISTA’s Packaging Dynamics Professional (PDP) Certification, trainees must participate in all six (6) PDP trainings as well as take and pass the exams for all six (6) of these courses. 

ISTA PDP Certification online exams: 
Take the ISTA PDP Certification exams offered via the online learning system on ISTA’s website.  Attendees will have access to the full ISTA PDP online course video presentation & documentation content in preparation for & reference during their exam.  The exam for each course can be found at the end of the content for each of the six (6) PDP courses (this is the ISTA-preferred method for taking the ISTA PDP Certification exams).

Instructor: Larry Dull, ISTA Instructor

Schedule:

  • Breakfast & Registration 4/22: 7:30am – 8:00am
  • Instruction 4/22: 8:00am – 5:30pm
  • Mid-morning break 4/22: 10:00am – 10:30am
  • Lunch 4/22: Noon – 1:00pm
  • Mid-afternoon break 4/22: 3:00pm – 3:30pm

Rates to attend:
With Forum Registration:

  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate: $1050
  • Non-Member Rate: $1650
  • Student Rate: $950 (Students may register for PDP 101 for $75)

Without Forum Registration:

  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate: $1350
  • Non-Member Rate: $1950
  • Student Rate: $1,200 (Students may register for PDP 101 for $75)
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Already ISTA PDP Certified? This course qualifies for 15 points towards ISTA PDP recertification.

CC 201 Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain

Monday, March 24 | 8:00am – 1:00pm | Additional Fee

Registration Available Soon!

The Who, What, Why, Where of Cold Chain

  • Basics of a cold chain program
  • Attributes of a gold standard cold chain program
  • Guiding standards for the industry 
  • Introduction to the Shipping Qualification Process Flow 
  • Lessons learned on selecting test labs and suppliers (labs, packaging, recording devices, etc.)
Instructor: Carolyn Williamson, ISTA Pharma Committee Officer

Schedule: 
  • Registration & Breakfast: 7:30am – 8:00am
  • Mid-morning break: 10:00am – 10:30am
  • Lunch: Noon – 1:00pm

Rates to attend:
With Forum Registration:

  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate: $450
  • Non-Member Rate: $575
  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $850
  • Non-Member Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $995

Without Forum Registration:

  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate: $495
  • Non-Member Rate: $625
  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $950
  • Non-Member Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $1200
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Already ISTA PDP Certified? This course qualifies for 15 points towards ISTA PDP recertification.

CC 301 User Requirement Specification (URS) to Operational Qualification (OQ)

Monday, March 24 | 1:00pm – 5:00pm | Additional Fee

Registration Available Soon!


The How of Cold Chain – Taking the fundamentals of the first class and putting it into practice 

  • How to create a robust URS  
    • Highlight both major and minor attributes of a URS 
  • How to design and implement your OQ process  
    • Highlight the design qualification tests 
    • Execution of an OQ protocol 
    • Documentation  
      • Test Protocols and Reports 
      • Temperature Recording Device Settings 
      • Operational SOP/WIs 
      • Staff training 
      • How to select and implement a pre-qualified shipper 
    • Navigating Change Control to Implement your Qualified System 
    • Lessons Learned on Implementing a Qualified Shipping System 
    • Case Studies 

Instructor: Carolyn Williamson, ISTA Pharma Committee Officer

Schedule:

  • Lunch: Noon – 1:00pm
  • Instruction: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
  • Mid-afternoon break: 3:00pm – 3:30pm
  • Instruction: 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Rates to attend:
With Forum Registration:
  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate: $450
  • Non-Member Rate: $575
  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $850
  • Non-Member Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $995
Without Forum Registration:
  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate: $495
  • Non-Member Rate: $625
  • ISTA Member Discounted Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $950
  • Non-Member Rate | Both Introduction to BioPharma Cold Chain AND URS to OQ: $1200