On Wednesday, June 14, 2023 we met at Pitt Community College in the Walter and Marie Williams Building for our quarterly NENC Career Pathways meeting focused on Agriscience/Biotechnology. The meeting began with a Welcome from Dave Whitmer, Director of Northeastern Workforce Development Board in place of Chairman Michael Williams. We continued with updates and an explanation of our pathways by Brandi Bragg (see PPT below “AgBio – 2023).
Next we had a Partner Spotlight presentation from Tashia Harrison of Telamon, sharing the great opportunities available for people who have worked in agriculture or who are dependents of agricultural workers. Telamon encourages co-enrollment with other programs and appreciates working closely with partners. They currently have an office in Wilson, which also serves up to 100 miles away. They are working to add services through the Pitt County NCWorks Center and potentially reopening an office in Ahoskie. See below for copies of the information passed out at the meeting and also a link to Telamon’s Annual Report.
Our next Partner Spotlight was provided by Mark Phillips, Executive Director for the Eastern Regional Office of NCBiotech, and VP of Statewide Operations. Mark shared many of the wonderful programs and opportunities they offer in our region, and introduced us to Andrew George, the Life Sciences Manufacturing Ambassador Program Manager. Check out the PPT below (NCBiotech-Overview…) to learn more, or for Mark’s Contact Information.
Interested in learning more about the Ambassador program? Reach out to Andrew at andrew_george@ncbiotech.org or 919-314-8369. You can fill out the registration form here: http://bit.ly/LifeSciAmbassador
Applications are open for the Accelerate NC Ambassadors for Life Science Manufacturing program! Apply here.
Our next available training in the East
June 26th from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET at Pitt Community College
What will I do as an Ambassador?
- You will get to attend a half-day, hands on training experience designed to empower people like you with the tools and support they need to spread the word about local opportunities for training and employment in life science manufacturing. During the training, you will:
- Hear more about North Carolina’s growing life science manufacturing industry
- Learn about and practice community outreach and engagement strategies
- Connect with other change-makers in your area
- Engage with science through hands-on life science activities
- Spread the word! After the training, we are asking Ambassadors to share what they have learned with at least 10 community members who might be interested in a career in life science manufacturing.
Once you’ve completed the application form we will follow up with the link to register for the event!
For more information reach out to Andrew George (andrew_george@ncbiotech.org)
After a great networking break, we heard from Micah Geiger, HR for Catalent (formerly Mayne Pharma) about the careers they offer, and the great programs they support around workforce development through Pitt Community College and beyond. Next we heard from a current Catalent employee who earned her degree at Pitt CC with help from the scholarship program provided through Catalent. Trisha Riley is now a Microbiologist I at Catalent, and spoke highly of the PCC Biotechnology program and the support from Catalent throughout the training, hiring and promotion processes she’s completed.
We finished up our meeting with a brief overview of the program by Christina Weeks, Department Chair for the Biotechnology programs at Pitt Community College. After the meeting, Christy led an optional tour of the labs and clean room. It was great to see the spaces where students are learning about biotechnology, and to be able to connect it back to some of what was shared by Micah and Trisha. It was a special surprise to see the clean room prepared for training students in the Industrial Technology department. Pitt has a great cross-connection between these two programs as students who want to work in pharmaceutical manufacturing maintenance need to have these skills.
Big THANKS to Pitt Community College for hosting us, and to all who shared and all who attended. We so appreciate your partnership!
