WILMINGTON — Katie Lakofsky spent two years talking with bioscience and pharmaceutical companies, big and small, about what they need to succeed in Delaware.
The overwhelming response – skilled workers to take the jobs that don’t need an advanced degree, emphasizing a need for candidates with specific technical skills in quality control for active pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as clean room procedures.
That’s where a new biomanufacturing training program launched by the Delaware Bioscience Association comes into play. In this pilot program, at least 20 people looking to get into the burgeoning bioscience field can go through an eight-week training course to learn such skills.
Anyone who has a GED or a high school diploma can apply to this program.
“These jobs in particular never required a college degree, and one of the direct challenges is that there hasn’t been a really good direct training to employment program to solve this,” said Lakofsky, who is the associate director at the Delaware Bioscience Association. “So what ends up happening is that the training onus is on the companies, and if you’re hiring 50 employees per year, that’s a big burden. It can also offer some credibility among the industry in Delaware.”
Backed by $2.1 million in federal funding secured by the U.S. Sen. Tom Carper and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, the training program is set to launch in May. Applicants are selected after a brief interview at the Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training, located at the EastSide Charter School’s STEM Hub. The interview is to make sure the candidates understand what kind of jobs would be available on the other side of the training program.
To help further promote the pilot program and other workforce development initiatives, the Delaware Bioscience Association has launched BioConnect, a go-to online resource for job seekers, employers and other industry stakeholders.
As more bioscience and pharmaceutical companies begin to develop their own in-house training programs, Lakofsky said the goal is to provide high-level training that is needed at many companies across the board. The curriculum includes an introductory course, as well as classes in quality management systems, good documentation practices and more.
Once students complete the program, the Delaware Center for Life Science Education and Training will help them prepare for job interviews and applications.
“Our employers were very helpful [in developing the curriculum] because they came ready to talk,” Lakofsky said. “We’ve had plenty of conversations with other sites in Wilmington, Newark and even in Middletown to offer training closer to open more access to different populations in New Castle County.”
In the future, the Delaware Bioscience Association hopes to continue the program for years to come. Since it is currently supported by federal funding, it’s unclear how feasible that source would be, but Lakofsky said she’s optimistic there will be a clearer answer in the next three years once students begin graduating and working in the field.
In the meantime, she plans to continue having conversations with companies to make sure the first year of the pilot program goes smoothly.
“We need to continue having these conversations about skills to ensure that these companies want these students when they graduate. Otherwise, we haven’t done our job right,” she said.
For more information about the program and BioConnect, visit www.bioconnectde.org.
