Partnership trains techs for lab jobs

BYLINE: RAHKIA NANCE News staff writer

Most evidence would suggest biotechnology is thriving in Birmingham. Constant research at UAB and its incubator programs help draw other employers to the region.

But there's a slight problem.

''We've got the leadership and the researchers and the scientists, but we don't have the tech help and assistants,'' said Jesse Hipps, a former scientist and president of the Heritage Center, a nonprofit workforce development agency.

To help fill jobs when they're needed, Hipps, along with UAB and the Biotechnology Association of Alabama, have created BioTek Works, a partnership to target young adults and create a pipeline from high school to the workforce.

Even with a bachelor's degree, it takes six months of training to become a lab technician, said Tino Unlap, an assistant professor in UAB's nephrology division. The profession is also plagued by a high turnover rate among recent college graduates.

''We're lucky to keep them two years,'' Unlap said. ''They go on to med school or to get their Ph.D.''

The biotech industry, Hipps said, is one of the fastest growing in the nation and in the state. Of the state's 90 biotech firms, 75 are in the Birmingham area, Hipps said. Birmingham has been identified as one of the most attractive places in the world for biotech businesses.

''We see it as a magnet to bring employers here,'' Hipps said of BioTek Works. ''A lot of businesses say, 'If I come, where do I find the talent?'''

By recruiting and developing a workforce, employers can quickly fill job openings.

Lab technicians run experiments, make measurements and provide technical support to researchers. Biotechnology research can include studies on new therapies or medicine or expand knowledge on known diseases, such as cancer. A group of BioTek Works students at UAB are investigating if foods such as tomatoes and green tea slow or stop the growth of cancer.

Average pay for a lab assistant is $15.97 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Students said they are happy with the BioTek Works training program.

''It just seemed like a good opportunity to learn more,'' said 19-year-old George Mincey, who will complete the program next month. ''I already enjoyed science.''

Mincey said he plans to start college in the fall and wants to pursue a career in biotechnology.

The 14-week BioTek Works program is a concentrated study course. It targets students who aren't in the top tier of their high school class.

''This is looking at the other part of the spectrum,'' Hipps said. ''This is salvaging potential and bringing it back to the workforce.''

Those who complete the program receive industry certification and may receive college credit and employment assistance.

''What we train them to do in four weeks, they can't get in four years,'' Unlap said.

The program is also linked to Lawson, Jefferson and Bevill state community colleges. Hipps said he eventually wants to connect the program to Birmingham and Bessemer city schools' vocational education programs so that students would have industry certification when they graduate.

EMAIL: rnance@bhamnews.com