The following is a story from State House News Service that originally published on May 24, 2023.
With the global “bio” convention set to unfold in Boston in about 10 days, a local trade group announced Wednesday that it is launching a nonprofit to link underrepresented populations and individuals with life sciences training pathways and employer connections.
MassBio said the nonprofit Bioversity will operate a 4,000-square-foot workforce training center in Dorchester at the Southline Boston development on the site of the old Boston Globe headquarters being redeveloped by Beacon Capital.
The trade group’s 2022 workforce report showed demand for life sciences talent was outpacing supply, which MassBio said helped lead to the new nonprofit.
“After further in-depth conversations with employers of all sizes, it was clear that the fastest way to deepen and diversify the talent pipeline was to develop and run short-term certification programs to train high school graduates for entry-level roles that can be pathways into careers and further educational attainment,” said Zach Stanley, MassBio’s former chief of corporate affairs and the newly appointed executive director of Biodiversity.
MassBio said the nonprofit’s initial curriculum was developed in partnership with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and will train high school graduates or GED holders for entry-level positions in scientific operations roles such as facilities management, lab operations, supply chain and procurement, and biomanufacturing. The programs will be offered at no cost and will provide a stipend to offset lost work hours and feature completion timelines of between eight and 12 weeks. Bioversity plans to graduate 100 students in its first year and 170 annually within its first five years.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Gov. Maura Healey are among the many speakers scheduled this year to welcome the global biotech community to Boston from June 5 through June 8 for BIO 2023, which has chosen “Stand Up for Science” as this year’s theme. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf is also scheduled to make remarks at the convention, which will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.