For Pitt Community College student Heather Bass, the path to biotechnology enrollment and employment began with an interest in science and completion of a short-term BioWork certificate.<\/p>\n
A Bath resident, the\u00a033-year-old\u00a0is working as a validation associate with Thermo Fisher Scientific as she completes credits for an associate degree in biotechnology from PCC. She says her goal is to eventually earn a four-year degree that expands her knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and allows her to grow professionally with the Greenville biotech company.<\/p>\n
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\u201cScience, in general, was always my favorite subject in school,\u201d Bass says. \u201cWhen I moved to Washington several years ago, I started working at a pharmacy as a technician and enjoyed that, but it wasn\u2019t my passion. I\u2019ve always been interested in how things are made and the processes that go into making medications.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Bass heard about PCC\u2019s BioWork certificate, she signed up for the training\u00a0and,\u00a0in 13 weeks, developed skills to work as a process technician in biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing companies.<\/p>\n
PCC\u2019s biotech program features two career pathways: one for students wanting work in pharmaceutical manufacturing quality control and another for those seeking careers in research, forensics or other lab capacities requiring a four-year degree or higher.<\/p>\n
For students like Bass, who want a bachelor\u2019s degree, Pitt has established transfer agreements with East Carolina University (ECU) and UNC-Pembroke. Bass says she is planning to transfer into ECU\u2019s Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology (Bioprocess Manufacturing Concentration) after completing her studies at Pitt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"