During Bioversity’s groundbreaking event on Tuesday, Jenn Azar, President and CEO at NECI, joined members of the life sciences industry, Governer Healey’s and Mayor Wu’s administrations, as well as other
community leaders to celebrate the establishment of Bioversity. The speakers each shared their thoughts on the impact Bioversity will have on the industry, the local job market, and the greater Commonwealth community.Zach Stanley, Executive Director at Bioversity, kicked off the event by addressing the importance of diversifying and broadening the talent pipeline within the life sciences industry, saying, “We are all here because we are part of a shared ecosystem that believes that more people need the opportunity and the pathways to get careers that matter in the life sciences.”
The emphasis on creating career opportunities rather than job opportunities was a common theme throughout the event, as one of the program's main goals is to leave positive, long-lasting effects on the community. The life sciences industry in Massachusetts has seen tremendous growth, growing by 131% in the last 8 years. Bioversity will fuel that growth by producing skilled workers to fill the high demands of the workforce pipeline.
Trinh Nguyen, Chief of Worker Empowerment for the city of Boston and speaker at the groundbreaking, stated that by the year 2025, Bioversity aims to give 1,000 Boston residents without their bachelor’s degrees a career in life sciences. These candidates are often overlooked and underrepresented in the industry, never before having a real opportunity to get their foot in the door. Bioversity recognizes this and aims to open new pathways for people who may not have thought a career in the field was achievable, with only a high school degree or GED.
“What it was about was making sure that every resident in the City of Boston, Cambridge, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, can see themselves in a career in the life sciences,” said Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, CEO and President at MassBio. “There are so many people in the Commonwealth that need this onramp into not a job, but a career.”
Jenn Azar, CEO and President at NECI, had the opportunity to speak at the event. Being an early donor to Bioversity, NECI recognizes the significant role workers play in driving the industry further. In response to the challenges in finding talent during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, NECI created our own Engineering Training Group with the goal to build talent from within.
It is these types of programs that the life sciences industry needs in order to populate the workforce with high-caliber employees that will carry the workload and promote growth industry-wide.
“We are looking forward to the first graduating class making a big difference in the world and helping them advance in their field,” Jenn Azar said in her closing remarks.
Frank Baker, Boston City Councilor, weighed in on what Bioversity will do to communities in and around Boston, stating that the major draw to this program as opposed to others is the promised potential there is for people to work. “There is potential for us to get jobs that will allow us to be able to buy homes and raise our families here, because that’s what it’s all about,” he said, later calling this campaign the beginning of “Dorchester’s version of the Industrial Revolution”.
The support for graduates does not stop after the training phase.
“The exciting thing about graduation at Bioversity is we want to support our graduates, not just career placement but their continuing education journey,” ensured Zach Stanley. If graduates are interested in pursuing more education after completing their training, Bioversity will give them a $2,000 voucher to help offset the cost of the first semester of education at a partnered educational institution. Additionally, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy has pledged to give elective credits to graduates of Bioversity who want to pursue a degree, giving graduates a leg up in propelling their educations even further.
Bioversity’s groundbreaking event also allowed for attendees to get a closer look at Southline Boston, the state-of-the-art office space where trainees will report. The space comes equipped with anything trainees may need: four floors of office spaces, labs, meeting rooms, dining options, a fitness center, and much more. This former headquarters of the Boston Globe is equipped with plenty of tools that trainees will use on their path to success.
NECI is a proud donor of Bioversity and looks forward to the impact it will have on the workforce as well as the Commonwealth as a whole. Through this initiative, the paper ceiling will no longer be an obstacle to a career in the life sciences, and education and career growth is more attainable than ever before.
Check out the Dorchester Reporter’s article to learn more about the day of the groundbreaking: https://www.dotnews.com/2023/work-has-begun-biotech-training-center-site-former-globe-hq
For more about Bioversity, check out their website and LinkedIn:
https://bioversityma.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bioversityma/
Keep up with all things NECI through our website and LinkedIn:
https://www.neci.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/-neci/