NJBioFutures, a workforce development initiative around cell and gene therapy, launched by Council for County Colleges

Spurred by $1 million contribution from founding sponsor J&J, Pathways program aims to accelerate creation of industry-aligned curricula and state-of-art training facilities at three community colleges (Raritan Valley, Middlesex, Mercer)

There were plenty of incredible life science numbers being thrown around Tuesday morning at Raritan Valley Community College during the launch of NJBioFutures, a unique workforce development program involving the state, the New Jersey Council of Community Colleges and Johnson & Johnson.

Consider:

  1. More than 50% of all novel drug approvals come from N.J.-based companies; Which has led to …
  2. An increase in the number of life sciences work sites in New Jersey growing by more than 50% in just five years – a timeframe that comes with an 18% growth in employment; Which isn’t surprising because …
  3. New Jersey has the highest density of scientists and engineers of any state in the country, perhaps any region in the world.

But the number that perhaps mattered the most was simple: One.

While the NJBioFutures program will help create a pathway for a future career for thousands of students, it’s best measured by how it will impact single individuals – students such as Josue Martinez Hernandez, a first-generation college student at Raritan Valley from El Salvador.

“I never imagined I would have the chance to break into the biopharma industry,” he told a packed room.

The program is allowing him to do just that.

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Here’s how NJBioFutures works.

The N.J. Council of County Colleges, thanks to generous support from Johnson & Johnson and other industry partners, is creating a curriculum aimed at creating a sustainable, skilled talent pipeline to support the state’s rapidly expanding cell and gene therapeutics sector.

The cell and gene therapy field has seen exponential growth over the past few years, with transformational advancements in treatments for cancer, autoimmune, neurological and genetic disorders. However, the sector is also facing a shortage of skilled workers to support this growth.

To address this need, the NJBioFutures coalition will bring together experts from education, government, industry and community stakeholders to offer differentiated training programs, state-of-the art facilities, and industry-responsive curricula to help build a pipeline for new and emerging high-demand roles in the state.

Three top community colleges – Raritan Valley Community College, Middlesex College and Mercer County Community College – are leading the way. They will provide short- and long-term training and certification programs on cell and gene therapy biomanufacturing, biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals. These programs will provide hands-on experience and prepare students for rewarding careers in an industry that is expected to continue its rapid growth.

Much of its beginning work will take place at Raritan Valley, which is aiming to have a new 20,000-square-foot facility open in the spring, but there already is talk of how the program is scalable – around the state and perhaps around the country.

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You can see why there would be so much excitement in the room – a cool occurrence, if you ask Kathryn Wengel, the chief technical operations and risk officer at Johnson & Johnson.

“A standing-room only (event) for the future of our industry is a really special thing,” she said.

Wengel, born and raised in Somerset County and a veteran of the company who served more than three decades, said the potential of the program – for the industry, for the state – cannot be overstated.

“To invest in the next generations of STEM talent, whether that comes from young folks coming up to education or those folks who want to take a turn in their career or re-enter the workforce, is such an important source of talent for us that this investment is very special to me,” she said.

J&J Chair and CEO Joaquin Duato.

J&J Chair and CEO Joaquin Duato couldn’t have agreed more.

“Our goal as a company is to be able to bring transformational medicines and medical technologies – and that is very much accomplished by the way we manufacture them,” he said. “It’s not only about how you discover and develop a medicine or a medical technology, but the manufacturing process is part of the product itself, especially in this specialized manufacturing, as we are doing here in Raritan, with cell therapy or with gene therapy that utilize your own cells in order to be able to attack cancer cells or other malignant cells that you may have in your body.”

Duato said working with community colleges is key.

“It’s important for the students to be able to be prepared with the skills that are needed in order to succeed with good jobs in the workforce, and it’s also important for us to have the right future employees that are going to be able to help us developing these new medicines,” he said.

“This collaboration is needed, but at the same time, it’s inspiring, because it creates the workhorse for the future, and it’s going to create the medical technology that is going to solve many of the diseases that we’re still fighting.”

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First Lady Tammy Murphy talked about how bringing New Jersey back into the innovation spotlight has been one of the governor’s primary goals.

Working with higher education has been a key component of that, as the state has opened more than a half dozen strategic innovation centers with four-year institutions, the latest coming just last week as Princeton, Microsoft and Coreweave announced a partnership in an AI Hub.

The state’s efforts with community colleges are not as well known – but the reach is far greater.

NJBioFutures is just the latest entry in the N.J. Pathways program led by the N.J. Council of Community Colleges. This initiative has brought together more than 1,800 education and industry partners to build and enhance 48 education and training pathways aligned with industry need.

“It’s a way to embrace a changing world,” NJCCC President Aaron Fichtner said.

Rob Asaro-Angelo, the commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, agreed.

“When people have good jobs, they have good career pathways,” he said. “That’s exactly what this program is all about.

“We’re not just marking the beginning of a new program. We’re working on a journey to transform lives.”

Look no further than Martinez Hernandez for evidence of that.

Martinez Hernandez, who already has completed his first professional training certificate, said he’s eager to learn more.

“Successfully earning my first certificate has given me the confidence and foundation skills to pursue this growing field,” he said. “Enrolling in subsequent certification programs excites me even more about the opportunities ahead. With each certification, I am building knowledge and experience needed to secure a career.”