‘Biotech Boot Camp’ at URI prepares high-tech workers to help fill shortages in life sciences industry

 

Pharmaceutical Development Institute recently hosted several Rhode Island residents interested in a career in the biotech industry for a two-week intensive program to provide the in-depth, hands-on training biotechnology and biopharmaceutical firms are looking for in potential employees.

The PDI’s “Biotech Boot Camp,” a partnership with RI Bio, Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, and the state Department of Labor and Training, welcomed 20 students to the institute’s advanced labs in Avedisian Hall on the Kingston campus. Trainees, who were selected through an interview and evaluation process after applying, are trained in aseptic techniques, clean-room gowning, document control, biopharmaceutical manufacturing concepts, quality control systems, and measurement and data collection, among other skills.

“The students will have the chance to learn in an onsite face-to-face environment from highly experienced biotechnology industry experts,” said Jennifer Lewis, director of the institute. “In PDI’s state-of-the-art manufacturing and laboratory facility they participate in hands-on laboratory workshops throughout the 10-day boot camp. The PDI is committed to enhancing and expanding the capacity and workforce development of pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms by training them in our world-class facility.”

The overall goal of the DLT-funded program is to help fill a shortfall in skilled labor for life sciences firms around the state and the region. The intensive training by the PDI’s and College of Pharmacy’s experienced educators will provide the necessary skills and foundational knowledge needed to gain access into entry-level jobs within the life sciences industry. 

“The life sciences industry is literally one of the fastest growing in Rhode Island,” DLT Director Matthew Weldon told the boot camp students on their first day. “Over the previous 10 years, the industry grew by 92 percent. This is a great opportunity. I’m challenging you: Pay attention, show up, take advantage of everything they offer you. So immerse yourself here, and you could be on a real pathway to opportunity. I promise you’ll have a huge career ahead of you.”

In addition to gaining marketable skills in biotechnology, boot camp graduates will have an opportunity to participate in a job fair July 24 with interested companies, including East Side Clinical Laboratory, Tedor Pharma, Cargill, and RI Analytical Laboratories, among others. Graduates will also have access to resumé writing and interview preparation workshops to secure entry-level positions in biotech, pharmaceutical and healthcare.   

The boot camp is part of the PDI’s mission to increase innovation opportunities for biotechnology and biopharmaceutical ventures in Rhode Island. Recently, the PDI received a $1.2 million federal grant to strengthen teaching and training programs in its state-of-the-art facilities in Avedisian Hall on the Kingston campus, which include a 7,000 square-foot cleanroom facility that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates for pharmaceutical manufacturing, a 1,500 square-foot Analytical and Stability Testing Laboratory, and a 1,500 square-foot training laboratory.