MassBay Community College receives $750,000 grant for Biomanufacturing Education and Workforce Training
MassBay Community College, MA, received a $750,000 grant this October from the Baker-Polito Administration and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC).
These funds will help the college:
- Create a new Center for Biomanufacturing Education and Workforce Training (CBEWT)
- Develop a biomanufacturing certificate degree
- Develop new courses relating to RNA, and Cell and Gene therapeutics.
- Purchase industry-specific equipment including Droplet Digital PCR, Bioreactors/fermenters, and other bioanalytical instruments.
- Offer short-term courses and workshops to adult learners and high school students
- Collaborate with local STEM professionals to offer lectures and seminars to students, further enriching their classroom experiences.
- Work with science teachers at partner high schools and other higher education institutions.
This new Center will join the existing Center for Therapeutics and Genomics Training (CTGT), which has been producing workforce-ready biomanufacturing technicians through the College’s biotechnology program since 2020.
These are exciting times at MassBay Community College. The faculty are excited about the opportunity to provide a diverse group of students including first-generation, women, minorities, and underrepresented students with the skills they need for careers in biomanufacturing.
Massachusetts companies will be happy, too.
“As companies increasingly employ biotechnology tools to create economically essential and life-saving products, they seek skilled technicians in all areas of the biomanufacturing process,” said MassBay Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Department Chair Dr. Nirmal K. Singh. “There is an urgent regional and national need to expand Biomanufacturing education and develop technicians in this specialized area to help fill the current employment gap, making the MassBay biotech/biomanufacturing programs critical to the region's economic development. The equipment procured through the CBEWT will meet some of the current biomanufacturing workforce education needs and will continue to build a more equitable future and sustainable bioeconomy.”
“Furthermore, by aligning our work closely with industry, we can pique the interest of young scientists and educate a pipeline of highly talented workers to prevent a workforce shortage.”