Durham Reporter

County of Durham issued the following announcement on Aug. 18. 

More than one year in the making, elected and local leaders gathered on Thursday, August 19, 2021, to announce a new grant-funded aseptic training program at Durham Technical Community College to address the region’s flourishing life sciences industry.

In June of 2020, Durham County Commissioners approved $60,000 in funding with the hope that it would leverage $240,000 in grant dollars available through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Economic Adjustment Assistance program. With yesterday’s announcement of award approval, Durham Tech will expand the school’s biotechnology course offerings and bring the County it first aseptic training program.

“We were happy to appropriate $60,000 to support the partnership with Durham Tech and Durham’s own life sciences workforce development initiative, BULLS (Building Up Local Life Sciences),” said Durham Board of County Commissioners Chair Brenda Howerton. “Our Board views this as a positive path forward to help develop, motivate, train, and connect our Durham youth and adults to living wage careers in life sciences.”

While the Triangle region has the 5th ranked life sciences cluster in the country, Durham County alone is home to 24,000 life sciences employees, 319 life sciences sites and 39% of all life sciences sites in the state - and those numbers will continue to grow. Since 2019, Durham County has successfully supported the recruitment of 4,650 new life sciences jobs expected to bring more than $1.75 billion in capital investment to support the County’s tax base.

The new training facility will be located at the college’s main campus in Durham and will offer equipment for aseptic processing training, which is critical to preventing contamination while manufacturing sterile products.

"Durham Technical Community College is once again showcasing its ability to design and grow their educational offerings to match the needs of local industry partners, giving students the tools and skills necessary to succeed in their desired career while having a positive impact on the region’s economy," said Rep. David Price (NC-04). "As we work to offset the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am pleased to have been able to assist with securing this critical EDA investment, which will triple the current training capacity on campus and strengthen our local life sciences workforce." 

The announcement of the EDA grant and plans for aseptic training coincides with funding approved in the Durham County FY 21-22 budget to offer expanded scholarship and biotechnology stipend opportunities at Durham Tech. The College has also launched an apprenticeship program with KBI Biopharma. In sum, these efforts are in alignment with the BULLS initiative’s goals of educating and preparing a diverse cohort of Durham residents for jobs in biotech. In addition to the County and Durham Tech, partners to support the BULLS effort include Made in Durham, the Durham Chamber of Commerce, Durham City, and the NC Biotechnology Center.

“This training reflects our commitment to expand our biotechnology programming and training opportunities to meet the demands of a surging industry in our region,” said President J.B. Buxton. “Aseptic training is one part of our plan to create a pipeline to great jobs in a growing sector. We want to be the go-to institution for diverse talent for life sciences employers.

For more information about this announcement, contact Durham County Economic Development Officer Andy Miracle at amiracle@dconc.gov.

Original source can be found here.