Frederick Community College’s (FCC) Biotech Boot Camp is back! The next session will run January 6 – January 31, 2025 at FCC. No cost or experience required.
 
Biotech Boot Camp provides career training to help jobseekers gain the fundamental skills necessary to enter Frederick's growing biotech industry. This in-demand program is intended for both first-time and experienced workers looking for a new career pathway. Following the successful completion of the course, program participants are guaranteed an interview with local/regional biotech companies.
 
The last Biotech Boot Camp ran July 15 - August 9 and was funded by Maryland Extension partnership and sponsored by Kite Pharma, Precision for Medicine, Valsource, and Thermo Fisher. The four-week camp offered 64 hours of hands-on intensive training.
 
This was a collaborative effort of FCC, Workforce Services of Frederick, and City and County Economic Development of Frederick. Students came from all over Maryland, and one student flew from Arizona to participate in the camp. Students had degrees in biology/biotech-related majors from University of Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of Maryland Global Campus, Loyola University, Washington State, and pharmacy school.
 
Highlights of this bootcamp included:
 

• 15 guest lectures from the industry and their connections
• Four field trips to Lonza, Precision for Medicine, Thermo Fisher, and FITCI
• Industry panel and networking opportunity, featuring six professionals from the industry in manufacturing & QC
• Resume, LinkedIn, and interview prep throughout the course
• At least two industry interviews for every participant coordinated by Workforce Services of Frederick

 
Companies participating in the interviews included Kite Pharma, Valsource, Thermo Fisher, Precision for Medicine, Millipore, Texcell, Meso Scale Diagnostics, and Valogic.
 
Fourteen students successfully completed the course and received at least three of the five microcredentials they were tested for. Many students received job offers.
 
To learn more about the upcoming 2025 Biotech Boot Camp, please register for the Virtual Information Session, which will be held November 1, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
 
The program application opens October 28, 2024 and the application deadline is November 13, 2024. Visit https://mdmep.org/biotech-boot-camp/ to apply.