Iberchem today celebrated the 20th anniversary of IRIS, the company’s internal training programme in perfumery. Iberchem first launched this programme with the aim of providing a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary training for future workers in the fragrance industry. Thanks to this initiative, dozens of graduates have been able to train and start working in one of the many areas of the industry such as laboratory analysis, perfume creation, evaluation, fragrance technologies, fragrance application, regulatory, etc. The celebration took place at the company’s R&D centre in Spain.
The prerequisites for acceptance to the training programme include a degree in the field of chemistry, as a large part of the training requires technical and formulation knowledge. "The majority of the students tend to be recent graduates,” said María Ángeles López, Fragrance Evaluation Manager at Iberchem, and one of the school's mentors. “If they successfully complete the training and there is a vacancy that matches their skills, they are then offered a position within the company. During the admission process, several assessments are conducted, including an olfactory test and a personal interview, the latter of which is very important in our selection process,” added Lopez. “As we are training potential employees, we highly value their attitude and enthusiasm before and during their two years of training.”
Depending on the branch in which the trainees which to continue, the learning period may be longer than two years. This is the case, for instance, for a perfumer.
"While the training at Iberchem's headquarters was very comprehensive in terms of learning the technical aspects of fragrance manufacturing, having the opportunity to work at the company’s office in Dubai was the perfect occasion to conclude my training process,” said Alberto Grande, fragrance Evaluator at Iberchem. “It gave a substantial “boost” in my career as an evaluator, more specifically in the field of fine fragrances."
Iberchem congratulates all the employees who have successfully graduated from its training programme and who have become part of its family of employees. Furthermore, the company encourages ongoing training for all its employees, to effectively respond to the ever-changing technical changes and evolving trends of the market.