To help people prepare for jobs now open in the growing biomanufacturing industry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is currently enrolling students for the next session of the university's Fundamentals of Biomanufacturing accelerated training program.
"This specialized program is for people who want to work in the biomanufacturing sector, but don't necessarily have previous experience in the life sciences," said Kamal Rashid, PhD, director of WPI's Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC). "Many people who want to enter the biomanufacturing field from other industries, or who are now unemployed, or who have recently graduated from high school can benefit from this program."
WPI created the program in partnership with AbbVie (formerly Abbott Laboratories) Bristol-Myers Squibb, Shire Human Genetic Therapies, and other life sciences companies to make sure the curriculum gives students the specific knowledge and hands-on experience they will need to make the transition into biomanufacturing. The program's instructors, who work closely with WPI faculty members, are also hiring managers in the biomanufacturing field today. During the eight-week evening program, students will learn—and work on—all the processes involved in full-scale biomanufacturing, including elements of fermentation, media preparation, centrifugation, buffer preparation, purification, and aseptic processing in a biosafety cabinet. Students will also learn the rigors of working under the current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulate production of medicine.
Anyone interested in learning more about the program should contact Jody Reis at 508-831-4163 or jreis@wpi.edu.
The next full session of the Fundamentals of Biomanufacturing program will begin at WPI on April 22, 2014.
