How Community and Technical Colleges Are Building the Bioeconomy Workforce

More federal investment in emerging technology job training at community colleges is needed to fully unlock pathways to good jobs in the bioeconomy.The Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina is a leader in regenerative medicine—a cutting-edge field that develops new technologies to heal tissues and organs damaged by injury or disease. With its robust program to train students for highly skilled technician roles in the industry, Forsyth Technical Community College sits at the heart of the region’s economic and workforce development ecosystem. When First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Forsyth Tech in January to announce the winners of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engine awards, she signaled the critical role that community colleges play in advancing the innovation economy overall—and the biotechnology and biomanufacturing sectors in particular.Read more.