February 1, 2023 (Cambridge, MA) – The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation (MassBioEd) is one of nine recipients of the Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants awarded by Commonwealth Corporation on behalf of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. From the $3.9 million awarded in grant funding, MassBioEd has been granted $1 million over three years to expand the Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program.

With this grant, MassBioEd will provide training and placement for participants to move into jobs as Biomanufacturing Technicians, Clinical Trial Associates, and other careers that are projected to see significant growth over the next five years. MassBioEd’s Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program is targeted to unemployed and under-employed individuals, people of color, veterans transitioning out of service, and immigrants with science education or experience in their native country. Outreach will include collaboration with local organizations such as community centers and career offices. Northeastern University’s Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab (BATL) and WPI’s Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC) will provide technical training.

MassBioEd expects to serve at least 120 total participants over the course of the grant period with at least 80% of participants expected to complete the program and be placed in permanent employment. Expansion of the Biomanufacturing Technician and Clinical Trial Associate apprenticeships will provide more biotechnology opportunities for those who have historically been left out of the industry. Employer partners of the MassBioEd Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program represent a range of life sciences companies, and include AbbVie, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Blueprint Medicines, Bristol Myers Squibb, Corning Life Sciences, Ginkgo Bioworks, Halloran Consulting, MassBiologics, Pfizer, Rentschler, Takeda, and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

A key part of MassBioEd’s mission is to increase diversity in the life sciences workforce by providing opportunities to historically underserved and underrepresented youth and adults to support their entry into and persistence in life sciences careers.

To learn more about MassBioEd’s Life Sciences Apprenticeship Program, visit https://www.massbioed.org/apprenticeship-program/.

To learn more about the Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grants, please visit https://commcorp.org.

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About MassBioEd Foundation The MassBioEd Foundation (MassBioEd) is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization. Its mission is to build a sustainable life sciences workforce in the region through educational programs that engage and excite teachers, inspire and propel students, and illuminate the pathway from the classroom to careers with a focus on expansion, opportunity, and diversity.