New night schedule announced for BioWork training at VGCC Franklin Campus

Evening classes to train area residents for jobs in the growing biotechnology manufacturing field will start Jan. 24 at Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus. VGCC will once again offer the “BioWork” Process Technician course in room 306 of the Biotech Building on the Franklin campus , located on N.C. 56 just outside Louisburg.

 

Classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 until 10:30 p.m., Jan. 24 through May 11.

 

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.

 

This spring marks the 10th anniversary of BioWork, as the training course was first offered at the Franklin Campus starting in April 2001. The training program, which has since been replicated by other colleges, 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 is $175, plus $75 in fees and certification costs. Students may be eligible for certain types of funding or scholarships through various agencies.

 

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

 

For more information or to pre-register, call the Franklin Campus at (919) 496-1567.