" Alamance Community College's Biotechnology training program is the nation's first two-year associate degree program. Started in 1983, we have graduated nearly 500 students who work for prominent biomanufacturing companies in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Our Bioprocess technology training program was the first such program in the state of North Carolina, and we routinely graduate 25 to 35 percent of the state's community college biotechnology talent on an annual basis," Yonnie Butler, executive director of the Biotechnology Center for Excellence, said.
The new $17.6 million, 33,000 square foot building, which is expected to open in fall 2022, will expand the classroom and laboratory space available to ACC students in biotechnology, medical laboratory technology, histotechnology and agricultural biotech majors. The building will also include workspaces for start-up and early-stage biopharma companies, according to a release from the college.
The center has a strong mission: "to serve as a regional hub for innovative, industry-supported and technology-based workforce development and jobs in the rapidly expanding field of biotechnology that supports the economic vitality of Alamance County."
Butler said the college already has a strong track record for placing graduates in biotech jobs, but the new center seeks to expand on that, particularly for local companies.
"Upon graduation, our alumni have received more than 700 hours of hands-on lab training, plus experience from industry project collaborations. This allows our graduates to make an immediate impact and launch successful careers at companies such as Pfizer, Merck, Biogen, LabCorp, Samsung Biologics, GSK, ThermoFisher, The Smithsonian Institute, and many more," he said.
"We're getting calls several times a week from local companies here in the county, and elsewhere, that are essentially requesting, almost begging, for our students to come to work for them. So we are very fortunate and the new building will really help us increase enrollment in those programs because there's such quick work opportunities available," Butler added.
According to the college, Burlington was named the nation's number one small metropolitan area for research, testing, and medical labs and saw biotechnology jobs double between 2009 and 2014. As such, the college works closely with local biotechnology companies to share work opportunities with students.
The college also offers a 12-week BioWork program, which offers training to place individuals in entry-level biotechnology jobs without having to complete a two-year degree.
According to Bulter, LabCorp has several hundred ACC graduates working for the company, about 10 percent of the workforce at Anderson Products is ACC graduates and Carolina Biological also employs a number of alumni.
With the new Biotechnology Center of Excellence, the college hopes to strengthen this school-to-work pipeline.
"We're really trying to make as many inroads as possible and the great thing is that so many wonderful jobs are available," Butler said.
Butler also said he thinks this effort could attract more biotechnology companies to the area, supporting the local economy.
"We're hoping that companies that will see what's going on here in Alamance County will come and start putting down roots to help us further expand our life science community here in Alamance," he said.
To learn more about the Biotechnology Center of Excellence and ACC's biotech programs, visit alamancecc.edu/center-of-excellence-site.
©2021 Times-News (Burlington, N.C.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
