The following are excerpts from a story in BioSpace on June 1, 2023.
MassBio, the nation’s oldest biotech trade association, announced plans on May 24 to launch Bioversity, a non-profit aimed at upskilling and training those who would not typically enter the life sciences workforce to fill entry-level roles in Boston.
According to MassBio’s website, Bioversity will address two key pain points in the industry: the current education and training system cannot produce enough talent to keep up with demand and the workforce as a whole lacks diversity.
Zach Stanley, executive director of MassBio, told BioSpace that as the industry grows, so does the gap in available jobs and candidates to fill them.
The training programs at Bioversity will be available to anyone with a high school diploma or GED at no cost to them, and anyone who participates in the 8-12 week programs will receive a stipend, removing the cost barrier for those who cannot afford to take unpaid time off work. The graduates of the training programs will then fill entry-level roles in various areas, such as facilities management, lab operations, supply chain and procurement and biomanufacturing.
Stanley also emphasized the benefit of the training programs for employers. He said that because these candidates will graduate from the program with hands-on experience, they’ll require less training than most entry-level candidates.
“If we’re successful, we believe our graduates are not only going to be work ready on day one, but they’re going to be successful,” Stanley said. “So much so that the companies will want to promote them to additional roles and responsibilities. And that’s a good thing for everybody involved.”
Read the full story at BioSpace.