VGCC offers BioWork training program on two campuses

Classes to train area residents for jobs in the growing biotechnology manufacturing field are scheduled to start in January at both Vance-Granville Community College’s Franklin County Campus near Louisburg and at the Main Campus in Vance County. Both campuses have state-of-the-art biotechnology labs in which to conduct the “BioWork” Process Technician training course.

 

A BioWork class will be held in Building 8 on Main Campus on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 until 10 p.m., Jan. 8 through May 14. The Franklin Campus class is scheduled for Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., Jan. 8 through May 2. Nicholas Hendley is the instructor for the Main Campus class, while Gerald Picard teaches at Franklin Campus.

 

BioWork is a training course that prepares men and women for employment as process technicians within bioprocess, pharmaceutical, or chemical manufacturing companies. The rigorous 136-hour curriculum 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 is $255.25, including the cost of a textbook that will be provided. The deadline to register for either BioWork class is Jan. 2, 2014. Prospective students can now register and pay for this and other Occupational Extension courses online ( www.vgcc.edu/oex ).  Individuals also have the option to register and pay for classes at Main Campus, Building 7, Room 7120, Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but all college campuses will be closed from Dec. 20, 2013 through Jan. 1, 2014.

 

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

 

For more information, call VGCC’s Main Campus at (252) 738-3324 or the Franklin Campus at (919) 496-1567 .