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Initially Five Community College Centers of Excellence - 7
One National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce
ocated in strategic regions across the country - each with its own unique industry focus - the five Centers

Lof Excellence formed a comprehensive national program. They all came with strong lists of community,
industry and educational partners, consistent with the NCBW’s overall program of working together. Using
grant funding - while leveraging more resources - infrastructure actively improved with new construction and
upgrades. Up-to-date equipment was purchased, strengthening hands-on training. More qualified faculty were
hired and developed. They all worked with employers to identify needs and respond with training.

Southeast: Forsyth Technical Community College

Biotech Research and Development
Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Caro-
lina was lead institution, providing administrative oversight of the initial
grant. With a fully-equipped facility in its specially-designed building,
Forsyth Tech’s biotechnology program helps individuals meet increasing
research and development demands for highly-skilled technicians.

Northeast: New Hampshire Community and Technical College
(now Great Bay Community College) Biomanufacturing

Salaries for biomanufacturing technicians are 28% higher than those
in other manufacturing industries. Most of NHCTC’s graduates entered
biomanufacturing; and most of them are still with the biomanufacturing
companies that hired them. The hands-on, in-the-lab training there helps
people move up the ladder in biomanufacturing career paths.

Midwest: Indian Hills Community College
Agriculture bio-processing and renewable fuels
With international agricultural industry partners, IHCC created new
bioprocessing curricula and increased its training infrastructure and ca-
pacity. It added a pilot facility for use by industry and entrepreneurs. Plus
it developed an ethanol plant technician program. A virtual reality (VR)
fermentation model helps educate students and the general public about
biotechnology in Iowa.

Southwest: MiraCosta Community College
Bioprocessing.

MiraCosta College has a recognized, functioning bioprocessing training
program that did not exist before the convergence of the NCBW grant
with enthusiastic industry support and other factors. Outfitting the
MiracCosta bioprocessing program helped benefit the region’s biotech
workforce then, now, and for far into the future.

Northwest: Bellevue Community College
Bioinformatics

Bellevue Community College, like Microsoft - its partner and neigh-
bor in nearby Redmond, is a recognized Information Technology leader.
Forging nearly sixty partnerships with industry, plus conducting high
level focus groups, the BCC bioinformatics team combined forces to cre-
ate the first industry-validated Life Science Informatics Skills Standards.
The model is employed in three areas: Clinical Trials Data Management;
Bioinformatics; and Life Science Software Validation.