A free, eight-session course designed to provide basic skills for those interested in entry-level laboratory work will be offered next month at Hudson Valley Community College.
The course will run for four weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in May and will cover laboratory safety, equipment, solution preparation and standard operating procedures used in fields like biotechnology, biomanufacturing, food science, forensics and health care. Those who successfully complete the course will be offered job search assistance. The college will also offer a complementary free course in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) designed for those working in a variety of manufacturing industries.
A Biotechnology Career Night to learn more about the program and careers in biotechnology will be Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m. in the college’s Bulmer Telecommunications Center. College faculty members will review the biotechnology industry and representatives from biotechnology labs in the area will be on hand to discuss careers. For more information about the course, go to www.hvcc.edu/biotech-training.
The four-week course is being offered by the college’s Department of Biology, Chemistry and Physics is part of a $3.4 million grant the college received in 2010 from the U.S. Department of Labor to provide education and training for those seeking careers in biotechnology. The grant funding comes from the federal Employment and Training Administration (part of the American Renewal and Recovery Act) with biotechnology designated as an emerging industry.
The college currently offers a one-year certificate and an associate degree program in biotechnology.