VGCC Franklin Campus offers Biotech training

Vance-Granville Community College will offer two biotechnology training programs this spring on the college’s Franklin County Campus , located on N.C. 56 west of Louisburg.

One of the programs, the “BioWork” Process Technician course, is available during the day, during the evening and on Saturdays. Students may take the class either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, starting Jan. 21. The classes will also be offered on Saturdays, starting Jan. 24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (including a one-hour break for lunch). Students will choose one of these times and attend that session for the entire course.

BioWork is designed to prepare people for employment as technicians in bioprocessing or pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. Upon successful completion of the course, students are eligible to take the state certification exam, which will be conducted at VGCC in June.

The total cost for the class, including textbooks, is $137.30. A high school diploma or GED is the only pre-requisite for the course.

An advanced bioprocess training program, called “Bioprocessing in the Workplace,” will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6 until 10 p.m. Classes start Feb. 3 and continue through March 26.

This course is designed for students who have successfully completed BioWork or are currently employed in the bioprocessing or pharmaceutical industry. “The Bioprocessing in the Workplace course will enhance the student’s knowledge and training in basic biotechnology concepts through challenging lecture modules, as well as hands-on experience in a laboratory,” said VGCC Bioprocess Technology coordinator/instructor Julie Kinlaw . “Completion of the course will strengthen each student’s skills and increase their marketability within the biotech industry.”

For more information or to pre-register for either course, call Julie Kinlaw at (252) 738-3632.