South Piedmont And Pitt Community Colleges Expand Life Sciences Training

North Carolina life sciences employers keep reporting a need for technicians with specialized skills in laboratory quality control, microbiology, environmental monitoring, and regulatory compliance. Two community colleges, one southeast of Charlotte and one near Greenville, are approaching that need in different ways. One has opened a 21,000-square-foot facility with aseptic processing labs and simulated manufacturing spaces. The other is using a $427,415 National Science Foundation grant to modernize lab instruction and expand internships and other work-based opportunities. Both draw on industry partners for funding, equipment, or curriculum input. Hear from college leaders and industry voices, including Glenmark Pharmaceuticals' Marc T. Kikuchi and NCBiotech's Corie Curtis, on what these efforts are meant to produce.

Read the article to see how each approach works.