March 30, 2023

NIIMBL Whitepaper Highlights Community College Collaboration for Biopharma Talent Pipeline Solutions

T The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) has released Part II of a whitepaper series titled “Innovation of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Talent Pipeline”. This series focuses on non-traditional and novel solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry’s talent pipeline gap. The most recent whitepaper focuses on the successes and challenges of community college biotechnology degree programs, and it makes the case for greater collaboration between industry and community colleges.

According to InnovATE BIO, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technology Education (ATE) consortium of community colleges, there are approximately 100 two-year colleges, distributed across 40 states, currently offering degrees (and/or certificates) in biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the United States.

However, while graduates are being hired by more than 1300 employers across the country including many familiar names in big pharma, these programs face multiple sustainability challenges associated with staffing, cost, and competing programs from other industry sectors. The whitepaper highlights some of these challenges and builds a case for stronger industry engagement to ensure these programs thrive and graduates get jobs.

…by working together, industry and community colleges can develop innovative approaches to training the next generation biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce…

John Balchunas, NIIMBL workforce director states that “As we have begun to see in the past few years, there really are some innovative approaches to training the next generation biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce. It’s our hope that by exposing more of these solutions to industry, we can drive some step change progress as talent funnels broaden and hiring risk tolerance increases in our industry.”

This white paper is Part II of a larger series in which NIIMBL seeks to advance novel and non-traditional pathways that could strengthen talent pipelines for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The intent of the series is to catalyze dialogue and action by identifying current and perspective concerns and the root of the issues holding back the U.S. biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem while offering solutions and alternative practices that can help resolve these issues.

Community colleges play an important role in providing education and training for the next generation of biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce. These programs offer an affordable and accessible pathway for students to enter the biopharmaceutical industry. However, despite their successes, community college biotechnology degree programs face multiple sustainability challenges.

One of the challenges faced by these programs is staffing. It can be difficult for community colleges to attract and retain qualified faculty members with industry experience. This is due to a variety of factors including competition from other industries and higher education institutions, as well as limited resources for professional development.

Another challenge faced by community college biotechnology degree programs is cost. These programs require specialized equipment and facilities which can be expensive to acquire and maintain. Additionally, there are ongoing costs associated with consumables and supplies.

Community college biotechnology degree programs also face competition from other industry sectors. Many students may choose to pursue careers in other industries that offer higher starting salaries or more immediate job opportunities.

Despite these challenges, community college biotechnology degree programs have been successful in providing education and training for the next generation of biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce. Graduates from these programs are being hired by more than 1300 employers across the country including many familiar names in big pharma.

The whitepaper released by NIIMBL highlights some of these challenges and builds a case for stronger industry engagement to ensure these programs thrive and graduates get jobs. By working together, industry and community colleges can develop innovative approaches to training the next generation biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce.

In conclusion, Part II of NIIMBL’s whitepaper series titled “Innovation of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Talent Pipeline” focuses on the successes and challenges faced by community college biotechnology degree programs. The whitepaper makes a strong case for greater collaboration between industry and community colleges to ensure these programs thrive and graduates get jobs. By working together, we can drive step change progress as talent funnels broaden and hiring risk tolerance increases in our industry.

Posted in News and tagged News, NIIMBL, Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing, InnovATE BIO, USA, Community College
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