RALEIGH, N.C. (October 03, 2023) – Students and alumni from Wake Tech and Durham Tech are poised to start rewarding careers in the biotech industry. Area biotech and life sciences employers came to Wake Tech’s RTP Campus today to recruit students and recent graduates from three programs: the Biotechnology associate degree, Biopharmaceutical Technology associate degree and the BioWork non-degree certification.
“This area is growing tremendously,” says Dean Leslie Isenhour. “A lot of companies are moving here and the companies that are already here are expanding. The training we provide prepares the skilled workforce they need.”
About 200 students and alumni from both Wake Tech and Durham Tech took advantage of the opportunity to meet with representatives from FujiFilm Diosynth, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, CSL Seqirus and other employers. The companies are looking to fill positions such as bioprocessing technician, lab technician and manufacturing associate.
In addition to local employers, students met with representatives from the NC Biotechnology Center, the NC BioNetwork Capstone Center, and universities offering opportunities for advanced degrees, including East Carolina University and UNC Greensboro. Students also learned about apprenticeship opportunities, which offer the chance to earn a salary while getting on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Most apprenticeships transition to permanent employment.
Today’s Career Fair was organized through RTP Bio, a workforce development collaboration between Wake Tech and Durham Tech. The colleges share biotech-related resources and facilities to help strengthen the biotechnology, biomanufacturing and biopharmaceutical talent pipeline in the Research Triangle region.
Wake Tech launched its Biotechnology degree two years ago in response to a growing demand for workers. The program emerged from molecular biology and chemical engineering, and prepares students to meet the increasing demand for skilled laboratory technicians. Wake Tech also offers the Biopharmaceutical Technology degree, which prepares students with skills in manufacturing processes and quality assurance procedures, as well as bioprocess equipment maintenance. The non-degree BioWork program is an accelerated non-degree course that leads to an entry-level position as a bioprocess technician and can provide course credit toward an associate degree.
Wake Tech also offers a series of non-degree biotech courses for anyone interested in biotechnology or to help working professionals advance in their field. To learn more, visit biotech.waketech.edu.
September 2023