The Washington-based Manufacturing Institute and the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce (NCBW) at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, N.C., have collaborated in an effort to educate future biotechnology and pharmaceutical production workforce candidates. The new collaboration includes a five-year commitment to support advancements in career and technical education, such as developing community college programs of study in biotechnology, pharmaceutical production, and medical device manufacturing aligned to industry standards. By jointly advocating for public and private investment in these workforce development initiatives and expanding outreach to students, parents, educators, and transitioning workers about valuable career opportunities, the partnership will build the talent pool and enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. biotechnology workforce and the industry as a whole. “The biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries are among the growing sectors in our manufacturing economy,” says Emily DeRocco, president of The Manufacturing Institute. “The continued growth of U.S. manufacturing in these global markets requires a highly skilled technical workforce. This alliance will develop and implement replicable solutions to the nation’s need for a technical workforce in support of manufacturing.”Currently, 42,000 businesses in the bioscience sector directly employ 1.3 million individuals and support an additional 7.5 million related jobs across the nation. North Carolina continues to be a national leader in bioscience research and innovation, with academic bioscience research expenditures rapidly growing beyond 2006 levels of $1.31 billion. North Carolina is also the third largest employer in biotechnology nationwide.For more information, visit: http://www.biotechworkforce.org/.