 09/26/06 -
BPTC survey finds that bioscience companies are hiring student interns
Research Triangle Park, NC -- North Carolina’s burgeoning bioscience industry is looking for new talent – and finding it through a surprising array of internships for students at all educational levels. A recent survey of life science companies in North Carolina found that 88% of the firms that responded hire interns or student workers as a means of finding and screening future employees. The survey was conducted by the North Carolina Biomanufacturing and Pharmaceutical Training Consortium (“BPTC”) and will be used by a BPTC committee to optimize internship opportunities for participating educational institutions. “We conducted the survey to help us determine ways in which we can increase internship and student worker opportunities,” said Tim Kelly, Chair of the BPTC Industrial Curriculum Committee. “This survey provides information about best practices along with issues that needed to be addressed in increasing student work programs.” Hal Price, NCBIO’s technical advisor for the Biotech Manufacturer’s Forum and a committee member noted, “BPTC programs and other life science training initiatives will be growing as more companies expand and others locate in the state. We need to make sure that opportunities are available to students to get work experience and meet course requirements for community college and university programs.” Forty-eight companies completed the survey. Respondents reported hiring students at all levels of education for manufacturing processes. Chemistry students are most often hired for internships in research and development, and engineering students are most often hired by manufacturing companies. Companies listed communication skills and organizational skills including punctuality as important attributes when seeking student workers. Technical expertise, flexibility and specific course requirements also were listed as important factors. The BPTC training initiative has won North Carolina national and international recognition. It combines the resources of North Carolina’s university and community college systems to meet the growing demands of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in the state. The Consortium’s key programs are the North Carolina Community College System’s BioNetwork program, the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE) at North Carolina Central University in Durham, and the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University. The BPTC initiative is funded by the state of North Carolina, the Golden LEAF Foundation, and contributions from industry. This survey indicates that North Carolina students and companies would benefit from additional internship opportunities, and that the many successful internship programs currently in place may be used as models to expand and develop such opportunities. Copies of the survey summary are available from the North Carolina Biosciences Organization. Contact info@ncbioscience.org for more information. |