VGCC offers BioWork training program on Franklin Campus

Classes to train area residents for jobs in the growing biotechnology manufacturing field are scheduled to start in August at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus .

 

VGCC will offer the “BioWork” Process Technician course on two different schedules for the convenience of students. A daytime class is scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Aug. 13 through Dec. 5. An evening class will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 until 10 p.m., Aug. 20 through Dec. 10. All classes are held in room 306 of the Biotech Building on the campus, located on N.C. 56 just outside Louisburg.

 

BioWork is a training course that prepares men and women for employment as process technicians within bioprocess, pharmaceutical, or chemical manufacturing companies. The rigorous 128-hour course covers topics such as workplace safety, chemistry, process control, and microbiology.

 

The course also provides students with extensive ‘hands-on’ laboratory experience. Certified Bioprocessing technicians are in demand throughout the state, potentially finding opportunities at area companies such as Novozymes in Franklinton, Revlon in Oxford and Proctor & Gamble in Henderson. VGCC has offered the BioWork course since 2001, and it has since been replicated by other colleges. The training program was developed by a team that included VGCC, the N.C. Biotechnology Center, the N.C. Community College System, Novozymes and 15 other biotech companies.

 

The cost of the course includes a $175 registration fee, plus other college fees, textbooks and certification costs.

 

A high school diploma or GED is the only pre-requisite for the course.

 

Pre-registration for BioWork is set for July 30 at 6 p.m. For more information or to pre-register, call Anthony Pope at VGCC’s Franklin Campus at (919) 496-1567.