NCLifeSci supports Pell grants for BioWork certification

The North Carolina Life Sciences Organization writes in support of Workforce Pell eligibility for students in the BioWork Process Technician certificate. We understand that colleges offering BioWork will apply to the Commission for program approval, and we submit this letter as employer evidence of the labor-market demand and hiring outcomes those applications rest on. 

I serve as president of NCLifeSci, a statewide trade association representing life sciences employers ranging from early-stage companies to global manufacturers. Our Biotech Manufacturers Forum operates as a sector partnership for late-clinical and commercial-phase biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Forum members run the manufacturing sites where BioWork graduates build careers, and forum leadership includes representatives from Biogen, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, Grifols, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Pfizer and CSL Seqirus. 

Demand in the regional labor market 

North Carolina is home to approximately 860 life sciences companies, which directly employ about 76,000 people. Pharmaceutical manufacturing accounts for more than 25,000 of those jobs across 151 establishments, ranking third nationally in subsector size, according to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center's 2024 Evidence & Opportunity report. Two components of the subsector grew sharply in the years leading up to the report: biological products manufacturing added 20 percent to its employment base, and pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing added 14 percent. 

Growth continues. In 2025, 18 companies announced expansions, headquarters relocations or new facilities totaling $3.79 billion, with 1,380 projected jobs in 10 communities across the state. Biogen committed $2 billion of the total to modernize manufacturing technologies at its two Research Triangle Park campuses. More announcements followed into 2026. Genentech is building its first East Coast plant in Holly Springs, expected to create more than 500 manufacturing jobs. Johnson & Johnson is adding capacity in Holly Springs and Wilson, with about 1,000 new jobs being added across its North Carolina sites. AbbVie is establishing its first major operation in the state, a Durham manufacturing campus that will hire 734 people over four years. 

Legacy manufacturers and new entrants draw from the same technician pipeline. Retirements at long-established sites compound the hiring demand created by new capacity. Process technician roles do not require a four-year degree, which makes short-term training the practical entry point for most candidates. The state approval process weighs labor-market demand and employer needs, and the demand described here speaks directly to both. 

Portability across employers 

BioWork prepares workers for the sector rather than for a single company. The North Carolina Community College System’s BioNetwork delivers the certificate through community colleges statewide, and employers across the industry recognize the credential. Companies including Biogen, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, Grifols, GSK, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Novonesis, Pfizer and CSL Seqirus have benefited from the training programs of NCBioImpact, the consortium of universities, community colleges, companies and nonprofit organizations through which BioWork reaches students. A student who finishes at one college qualifies for entry-level process technician openings at manufacturing sites in every region of the state. 

Alignment with employer needs 

Industry helped build the BioWork curriculum and continues to shape the content. The course covers the role of the process technician, safety, quality systems, process measurement and control, sterile processing and cell culture. Employers review the material through NCBioImpact and through the Biotech Manufacturers Forum, and member company staff serve as guest instructors and advisers at participating colleges. Students can apply the coursework toward an associate’s degree in a life sciences field if they choose to continue.