Manchester, New Hampshire continues to expand as a major national and international hub for biofabrication – the manufacture of cells, tissues, and organs. This industry enables the production of live-saving regenerative therapies for those living with chronic illness and traumatic injury. Led by the cutting-edge work of the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI | BioFabUSA), a non-profit public-private partnership, the sector has substantial growth potential over the next several years and is expected to generate more than 9,000 direct jobs and another 35,000 indirect employment opportunities in the region.
“This is an evolving industry that will have a significant impact on the region,” said Christy Johnson, Director of Education and Workforce Development at ARMI. “We’re building numerous partnerships and pursuing all options, including Registered Apprenticeships, to help create the workforce we expect will be needed to support biofabrication in New Hampshire.”
To address current and future workforce needs, ARMI has formed partnerships with many academic institutions including the Community College System of NH (CCSNH) and its ApprenticeshipNH program to create greater exposure for this growing field. Two new Registered Apprenticeships were launched over the past year, which provide classroom and hands-on training, along with paid and benefitted On-The-Job training. Apprentices earn industry-relevant Certificates as well as higher education credit. Additionally, a vision to create a comprehensive onsite training center for biofabrication is becoming a reality.
ARMI | BioFabUSA seeks to enable the scalable, consistent and cost-effective manufacture of cells, tissues and organs and ensure these life-saving therapies reach all who need them. As a part of this effort, ARMI | BioFabUSA is working to close educational skills gaps in tissue engineering and organ manufacturing through accessible educational training opportunities. Located within the burgeoning hub in Manchester and operating with synergistic aims and programming, Manchester Community College (MCC) is a key partner.
The Biofabrication Technician Registered Apprenticeship Program, with an embedded Certificate Program, was launched in the fall of 2023. Twelve participants were accepted into the program and completed two months of coursework and hands-on training taught by MCC staff in biology, chemistry, advanced manufacturing, CAD, 3D Printing, lab math and soft skills. Five of these individuals graduated with a Certificate and successfully pursued employment; seven individuals entered a year of On-The-Job Training with ARMI and its Members.
Additionally, the Advanced Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship Program was launched in April 2024 and is a unique two-year program with coursework and hands-on training separate from, but complementary to, the Biofabrication Technician Apprenticeship Program. Four apprentices were hired by ARMI Member, Merrimack Manufacturing, and are taking five courses at MCC. They are also engaged in On-The-Job Training to gain skills as precision assemblers. Following the ApprenticeshipNH model, these individuals are “earning while they learn” with full-time work opportunities awaiting at the end of the apprenticeship.
These models demonstrate new, innovative ways of approaching workforce development and have come to fruition through longstanding, strong collaboration between MCC and ARMI. Discussions with MCC, the University of New Hampshire and the Manchester School District leading up to the design and launch of the Registered Apprenticeship focused on ways to introduce biofabrication to students and introduce career opportunities from technical levels through PhD-level jobs.
According to Dan Larochelle, director of the Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics Program at MCC, workforce needs will require a significant number of technicians as compared to engineers – roughly a12-1 ratio.
“We’re not training for a specific job, but for a burgeoning industry. Technicians can start in this workforce through on-the-job training that can lead to many opportunities, as well as ongoing education and training that will continue to open doors from them right in greater Manchester,” Larochelle said.
As training programs were considered, Deb Audino, an instructor focusing on teaching biotechnology courses for Great Bay Community College, was engaged in early modeling and training. She helped create some of the original academic programming for a prior pilot program and was asked to teach portions of the Registered Apprenticeship coursework.
Training in complex fields such as biofabrication requires access to resources and labs that will be used by technicians in the field. One vision Larochelle and ARMI had for the partnership was an onsite technical training hub. This vision is moving towards reality through federal grants supporting the establishment of a workforce training facility – the Center for Biofabrication and Automated Manufacturing (CBAM), which will serve to scale the successful programming delivered through MCC and existing Registered Apprenticeships.
Through custom education and training, the partnership between ARMI, CCSNH and the ApprenticeshipNH program represents a level of collaboration that does not just target a single entity, but a sector that has significant growth and employment opportunities right in Manchester. Combined with work at the K-12 level to expose more younger students to opportunities in biofabrication, and work with other postsecondary institutions, most notably the University of New Hampshire, these partnerships will help solidify the greater Manchester region as a national leader in an industry that can have life-changing impacts for millions of people in the future.
