WilmU certificates to address biotech, forensic workforce needs

DOVER — Wilmington University is paving the way for an improved workforce within the scientific community with new certificates in biotechnology and forensic science, as more Delaware companies are facing a growing need for technicians.

Both of the new certificates can be obtained by both enrolled students and community members and are housed under Wilmington University’s natural science division within the College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences, according to WilmU Natural Science Director, Dr. Milton Muldrow.

“The benefit of a certificate is standalone. Graduates can use that certificate to market themselves as a technician in this case, for example,” he told the Delaware Business Times.

That extra education is just enough for some employers who had previously reached out to the university asking for help in the workforce.

“Some of the employers that have contacted us have said, ‘Hey, we don’t need a bunch of Ph.D’s. We need people who can do the work at the technician level, people who can quickly get trained up into the lab.’ And that’s what it’s all about,” Muldrow added.

In the last few years, Delaware has seen significant strides from attracting and retaining biotech companies, including the future $500 million WuXi STA pharmaceutical plant in Middletown. The First State has also seen Prelude Therapeutics break barriers with its research and a new headquarters for Incyte is also on the horizon. WilmU’s certificate programs offer an option for low-cost upskilling to train for those jobs.

Credits gained from the certificate programs can also be used toward degree programs for enrolled students, he said, through what Wilmington University calls “stackable credentials.”

“This is an opportunity to help build the Delaware workforce,” Muldrow told DBT. “WilmU students, more than other students in higher education schools in Delaware, stay in Delaware once they’ve graduated. These certificate programs add uniqueness to that because while you’re working on one degree, you really can curate your own education to be whatever you need it to be.”

While Wilmington University has offered biotech and forensic science learning opportunities in the past, creating a more concentrated certificate program will benefit those who do want to curate their own experience with advanced skills.

“Biotech, for example, is the applied side of science. It takes the basic concepts of biology and turns it into a more direct method of trying to solve a problem, such as medical or societal problems, or issues in health or technology,” Muldrow said.

The biotech certificate will afford students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the automation and information technologies that are now a critical part of the equation, as well as data analytics, gene editing, tools needed on the job and immunology. They will also study DNA, proteins, cell and tissue culture and genomics data, or computational biology and cymatics.

The forensic science degree will offer similar skills with an emphasis on processing DNA and data as it relates to criminal activity and evidence without altering a crime scene and can enhance professional education in the lab, as well as out in the field.

“Both of these areas of study, biotech and forensic science, have seen a lot of development in recent years. Forensic science, in particular, has seen an explosive amount of growth,” Muldrow said. 

Both programs, written by Muldrow himself, will be available to students online, in person or via a hybrid model. Online courses involving lab work will require kits sent directly to the student or simulation activities, so they don’t miss out on the hands-on aspects needed to really hone in on the skills being taught.

Although the certificates are new, Muldrow says the university has had biology programs for years, growing in double digits every year since being introduced and leaders expect interest in the certificate programs to match the excitement, as well as their continued and growing partnerships across the state such as ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute which currently employs a recent WilmU graduate..

Education Program Coordinator Sarah LaTorre, who previously worked with Muldrow as a researcher with the NASA Delaware Space Grant where Muldrow is also the assistant director, said the addition of the certificate programs will positively impact Delaware’s workforce for years to come and the Gene Editing Institute is happy to continue its partnership with WilmU.

“Certificates add additional value to students and a person’s skillset because traditional degrees can be sometimes too lengthy or there may be financial barriers for students to take on. Offering the certificates is a great way for students to get those valuable, hands-on skills, sometimes without having to do an advanced degree,” LaTorre told DBT. “WilmU really gets their students the exposure they need and through that, the students can really decide in whichpathway they’re interested in heading for their career.”