The National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM), a workforce development center within the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, has received a Wagner-Peyser grant from the Office of the Governor to help launch a new program called Military Veterans Manufacturing Vaccines (MVMV). NCTM will provide scholarships to military veterans accepted into the program, which will train them to be upstream and downstream manufacturing technicians for the growing biopharmaceutical industry in Texas, and in particular, for the Research Valley’s rapidly growing biocorridor. The high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities within the Research Valley Biocorridor require a dedicated, highly-specialized and trained workforce to produce vaccines and therapeutic products used for treating, preventing, or curing disease or injury in humans.
“Combining the mission of this crucial program with providing jobs to our military veterans is another reminder of the tremendous emphasis The Texas A&M University System places on supporting our veteran success in both higher education and career paths in further service to the state and the nation,” said John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System.
Through the MVMV program, veterans will complete the NCTM’s Biomanufacturing Technical Certification, a four-week blended learning program encompassing online curricula and intensive hands-on labs and exercises that ensure trainee learning through experience. NCTM will assist graduates of the certification program in identifying and obtaining job opportunities within the biotechnology community of Texas.
The grant is a part of the Texas A&M System’s multi-faceted efforts to aid veterans in achieving success through education and job placement initiatives. All 11 universities within the A&M System follow the military and veterans guidelines of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges, a program offered by the Department of Defense, and also participate in the College Credit for Heroes initiative, a statewide program that seeks to maximize the award of college credits to veterans and service members for their military training.
Resumes, letters of interest and general inquiries can be emailed to: Programs@NCTMmail.tamu.edu.
About NCTM
The National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) is an interdisciplinary workforce education institution of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), providing one of the most interactive and realistic pharmaceutical manufacturing training environments available on the market today. With the mission to develop a highly-skilled workforce for the vital U.S. and global pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, NCTM’s curricula incorporates principles of engineering and science in a variety of focus areas, including bioprocess equipment operations; process development, optimization, and scale-up; monitoring, analysis and testing; GLP, GMP, quality, regulatory and much more. To learn more, visit nctm.tamu.edu.
About the A&M System
The A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $3.8 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies, two service units and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates more than 131,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research expenditures exceed $820 million and help drive the state’s economy.