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How Montgomery County is helping shape the local bio workforce as demand for talent increases Email Share Share Tweet Print Order Reprints
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Companies are working with higher education institutions to strengthen the workforce pipeline further.
IN THIS ARTICLE
By Lauren Lawley Head – Contributor
Oct 10, 2022
Montgomery County’s growing life sciences industry is getting a boost from collaborative efforts between businesses, higher education institutions, nonprofits and government agencies.
Life sciences is a top industry in the county. The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) reports the county’s more than 300 bio companies attracted nearly $8 billion in investments in 2020. At the end of July 2022, Indeed’s job search site listed nearly 750 biotechnology job openings in the county.
Miltenyi Biotech is one of those hiring. In March, the German company announced it was moving its North American headquarters to Gaithersburg and expanding its operations. The company currently has about 40 local job openings on the careers section of its website, including roles in quality assurance, manufacturing and research.
Horizon Therapeutics, which plans to expand into a 192,000-square-foot building in Rockville in 2023, is another growing biotech company in the region. It lists more than 20 openings in…
Industry, regional funding and support organizations, the region’s university system and local and state government entities recognize this workforce challenge and have been collaborating to build the cell and gene therapy workforce infrastructure required to keep the personalized medicine workforce pipeline primed.
As years went by, I started to realize that there was a whole world of opportunities for PhDs beyond the bench – careers that were just as intellectually stimulating and still scratched that scientific itch without ever having to pick up a pipette. However, the road to reach these careers was a bit foggier compared to academia. Did I need to do a postdoc? How important are publications? How do I make myself stand out?
Home to an array of renowned universities, federal labs, and government resources, it’s no surprise that the globally renowned Milken Institute found that Maryland “has one of the nation’s strongest life sciences industries,” according to its recent report.
It’s clear that Maryland’s efforts to grow its recognition as a life sciences/biotech hub have paid off. However, there is still more work to be done in order for Maryland’s R&D growth trajectory to keep up with other leading hubs such as Massachusetts and North Carolina.
Montgomery College, Maryland’s largest and most diverse community college, provides the BioHealth Capital Region with dozens of qualified research and manufacturing associates each year.
