'Clear And Obvious Need': How A New Training Facility Will Help Meet Life Sciences Talent Demand In Maryland And Beyond

Maryland, along with Virginia and D.C., is the third-largest life sciences area in the U.S. 

With an educated workforce and top research institutes, Maryland’s life sciences ecosystem has grown to a $20B annual economy with more than 2,700 firms. However, this rapid growth has created a gap where many more workers are needed to fill key positions, particularly in biopharma manufacturing. 

The Maryland Tech Council, or MTC, the largest technology and life sciences trade association in the state, saw an opportunity to create a program to skill new life sciences talent and reskill biopharma employees. After four years of hard work, it unveiled its solution this fall: the BioHub Maryland Training and Education Center at Montgomery County, a new 8,200 SF facility in Rockville designed to train the region’s next generation of biopharma talent.

The center is at 9808 Medical Center Drive, the newest facility at Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ Shady Grove Life Sciences campus.

There are more than 60,000 biopharma job vacancies nationwide, and Maryland needed an industry-aligned training solution to advance its leadership in the industry. MTC CEO Kelly Schulz said her life sciences members early on identified the pressing need to develop local talent. 

“MTC established a task force to help guide the development of what became the BioHub Maryland Training and Education Center at Montgomery County,” she said. “All companies represented on the task force indicated a clear and obvious need for upskilling programs in the sector to address the issues with staff hiring, retention and skills development.”

The facility provides hands-on training to current life sciences workers, military veterans and people who don't have a four-year degree who seek a career in life sciences. It is divided into two mock Good Manufacturing Process lab spaces outfitted with industry-standard equipment, a gowning room, a lecture area and office space.

“AstraZeneca, GSK and Kite Pharma are just a few of the industry leaders manufacturing vaccines and therapies in Maryland,” Schulz said. “They need local talent that is skilled in core biopharma concepts who can immediately join the workplace.”

BioHub Maryland is the only training solution in the National Capital Region to offer globally trusted curricula from the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, a global leader in biopharmaceutical manufacturing training and research. Schulz said domestic and international life sciences hubs are establishing dedicated training centers, including in Ireland, Canada and South Korea. 

Schulz added that while the center teaches basics like operating in a clean room and preparing lab materials, lab workers of any experience level can learn new skills. Someone could learn about quality assurance, fill-finish operations, chromatography and more. 

The center is located in the I-270 life sciences corridor, around which many of Maryland’s life sciences companies are concentrated, Schulz said.

“Now that the lab is fully functional and operational, we aim to partner with MTC member companies to train and upskill participants in practical, hands-on experience utilizing industry-standard equipment, providing valuable insights directly applicable to real-world scenarios,” she said. “We have an infrastructure in place to help fill up the new lines of manufacturing they're starting now.”

Schulz said MTC made its case over four years at the local, state and federal levels that this initiative benefits both workers and industry. 

“We are grateful that Montgomery County leadership, Gov. Wes Moore and Sen. Chris Van Hollen all shared our vision and provided funding to help launch the facility,” she said.

Schulz said a $3M investment from Montgomery County and an additional $1.25M in funding from the Moore administration gave MTC the capital needed to open its doors in the heart of the I-270 corridor in October.

Additionally, the industry can now have confidence that Maryland has an industry-aligned training center to offer new skills to current employees and new workers in biomanufacturing fundamentals, she said. The center can save employers valuable time and money by training employees for positions in their companies. 

“We’ve already seen success with our first two-week boot camp in collaboration with WorkSource Montgomery,” she said. “We were excited to help graduate seven trainees who wanted to change the course of their careers.”

Schulz said that BioHub Maryland is also looking forward to helping bring in young talent, working with many universities in the state to give students opportunities to apply their coursework to a professional setting. 

“We are exploring how to be a training solution to industry outside of Maryland,” she said. “We are working with academia to integrate their students into our training facility to ensure cohesive and comprehensive training opportunities for students across the National Capital Region.”

BioHub Maryland is committed to strengthening the workforce and contributing to Maryland’s position as a global leader in biomanufacturing in the United States. To learn more, visit biohubmaryland.com.

This article was produced in collaboration between BioHub Maryland and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.