The Texas Medical Center (TMC) and San Jacinto College (SJC) are teaming up to bolster Houston\u2019s biomanufacturing workforce pipeline.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding to better align student training\u00a0and help\u00a0meet growing demand\u00a0for skilled technicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The agreement focuses on boosting student recruitment and enrollment in SJC\u2019s bio and pharmaceutical manufacturing programs while expanding opportunities for hands-on training, career\u00a0exploration\u00a0and work-based learning.\u00a0The partnership will also collect data to project the workforce needs of companies Houston hopes to attract, according to the\u00a0Houston Business Journal<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHouston is a premier global hub for life sciences and biotechnology, and the talent we need to advance therapeutic drugs, diagnostics, and cell and gene therapy is already here,\u201d said William McKeon, president and CEO of Texas Medical Center, in\u00a0a\u00a0press release<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cWith more companies choosing to establish their headquarters in Houston and the daily breakthroughs happening across the TMC campus, partnering with San Jacinto College is an important step toward sustaining that momentum and unlocking even greater innovation and growth through the promising talent that already exists within our state.\u201d<\/p>\n Building a Talent Pipeline for Growth\u00a0<\/p>\n This partnership builds on Houston\u2019s broader effort to strengthen its life sciences workforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a02025, SJC opened\u00a0the\u00a0Center for Biotechnology at Generation Park,\u00a0the only National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT)-licensed provider in the southern U.S.\u00a0The center offers industry-grade training to prepare students for high-demand roles in biomanufacturing.\u00a0This program\u00a0ultimately helped\u00a0attract pharmaceutical giant\u00a0Eli Lilly to Generation Park<\/a>, where the company is building a 236-acre manufacturing facility expected to create more than 600 full-time jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n