At LabCentral, being at the heart of the life sciences community means staying closely aligned with the needs of both our resident startups and our industry sponsors. In talking with industry partners, higher education representatives, and our larger community, we learned that many college students with degrees in the sciences graduate without the lab experience needed to confidently launch their careers in biotech. That’s where Biotech Ready comes in. We've developed a new micro-credentialing program to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry expectations and prepare students with the technical upskilling and professional workplace competencies needed to succeed in internships and full-time roles across the life sciences. 

Biotech Ready represents the next evolution of our Career Forge training program, which successfully ran from 2021–2024.   During that time, Dr. Marianne Lindahl-Allen, and I provided instruction and curriculum for Career Forge’s technical training through the non-profit, LEAS Lab. In 2024, following our merger with LabCentral, I joined the team in a part-time role overseeing their educational programming and workforce development initiatives. Together, we combined our years of workforce development training experience to design Biotech Ready to address today’s landscape. 

Biotech Ready is an accredited workforce training program that defines the skills essential for success as an early-career biotech professional, provides targeted training, and assesses performance for college students pursuing science degrees and careers. We accomplish this through partnering with higher education institutions to give their students hands-on training, in both lab skills and professional skills, at our state-of-the-art lab facility in Cambridge, MA.  

Students can gain credentials in three different tracks through Biotech Ready:  

1. Intern Ready – This track prepares undergraduate sophomores and juniors for general internships in the biotech and life sciences industry.
2. Research Associate Ready – This track provides training and assessment to prepare undergraduate juniors and seniors for full-time employment in Research & Development and Consumer & Patient Engagement.
3. Process Development Associate Ready – This is the most intensive track, designed to prepare undergraduate juniors and seniors for full-time employment in Research & Development, Process Development, and Manufacturing.   

Biotech Ready provides students with more than just technical training. Students who complete the program gain confidence in their ability to demonstrate their readiness, helping them transition from classrooms to careers. Employers hiring Biotech Ready students can rest easy knowing that their new hires have the wet lab skills and professional competencies needed to be successful from day one on the job. And our higher education partners can take pride in knowing their involvement in Biotech Ready demonstrates their commitment towards preparing their students for successful job placement.  

Ready to be a part of this exciting new program? Head here to get involved.