Fast Tracking Students to a Career in Pharma Manufacturing

Connecting Local Skilled Talent to Careers at Leading Life Sciences Companies

NCGrads2Work provides recent high school graduates with two days of hands-on training activities, as well as virtual reality simulations at the NC Pharmaceutical Services Network at Pitt Community College. Participants work in a pilot-scale manufacturing environment while learning Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP),  Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of pharmaceutical manufacturing, and aseptic/sterile gowning techniques in a regulated environment. Post training, students participate in job interviews with pharmaceutical industry partners. 

In addition to the pharmaceutical training program, participants learn soft skills, including job interviewing techniques, resume writing and team building. 

After completing the training program, participants are awarded the Pharma Expedited Training Solutions certification and guaranteed an interview with local life sciences manufacturing employers, such as Catalent and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Thermo Fisher Scientific was an early champion, collaborating with NCBiotech and the Pharmaceutical Services Network at Pitt Community College to design the program. Since the program's inception in 2018, the company has made significant investments in Greenville, citing the need for local talent.

Catalent began participating in NCGrads2Work in 2023. Catalent, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization for the pharmaceutical industry, provides analytical, manufacturing, and packaging operations for oral solid-dose medications.

“We’ve hired several of the students who have gone through the program, and most of them have actually been promoted within Thermo Fisher. It’s definitely great for the students and for us to participate in. These students have shown an interest in life sciences manufacturing. The certificate gives them a little extra training.”

-Carlin Blakley, human resources generalist at Thermo Fisher Scientific

“When I was in school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life for the longest time. This program gave me the opportunity to figure that out. The chances of getting a job after finishing the program go up a lot.”

-Rebecca Loshbaugh, Pitt County Early College graduate