BioLaunch is a new program to develop the New Haven workforce to support the growth of the biotech industry, a sector that is rapidly growing in the region. In partnership with the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT) and spearheaded by Craig Crews, PhD, John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Professor of Chemistry, of Pharmacology, and of Management, and a member of Yale Cancer Center, BioLaunch is a state-funded partnership of local biotech companies. The group hopes to develop a local workforce and create local, well-paying technical jobs that do not require a college degree or other out-of-pocket training costs.
Two cohorts, one in the spring and another in the fall, are targeting 18-26-year-old non-college bound candidates. Each cohort will accept 15 candidates for a 4-month training program, which is expected to end with a paid industrial internship with local biopharma labs. Each trainee will receive a monthly stipend and more than $230k has been allocated for support services such as childcare and transportation for the candidates.
“The biotech sector is rapidly growing and hopefully will continue to drive our local economy in terms of new jobs and opportunities. However, not all of our communities are benefitting equally in these successes,” said Dr. Crews. “We started BioLaunch to help those in New Haven who might need a hand in getting into the biotech industry as well as to help the industry recognize the many talents that our local workforce has to offer. BioLaunch is particularly fortunate to partner with ConnCAT, which has demonstrated its strong commitment to the community for over a decade by offering those in need with critical job training.”
The program has been developed to prepare trainees for careers as entry-level technicians in biotechnology and life sciences laboratories. Each cohort will follow a strategic curriculum that incorporates practice of industrial methods to prepare trainees for work in the thriving biosciences economy. In addition to hands-on technical laboratory training, students will be mentored by industry professionals to learn valuable career skills.
“We’re working to create a pipeline for folks with a passion for science to break into an industry they may have otherwise found difficult to enter,” said OrLando Yarborough III, Program Director for BioLaunch. “This work is about meeting the needs of the industry while also working to support young people in our community with an opportunity that can help them embark on a new career path in biopharma lab operations.”
The application closes on February 15, 2023. To learn more fill out the interest form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_HHGBAbL9puGUSvXstxdDQJ3nIiBZdnhM2i2Ph6q8xX8yjA/viewform