By Maegan Dunn, VeloCityOKC.com
Oklahoma City’s biomanufacturing industry is seeing tremendous growth and BioTC is leading the charge to ensure the workforce needed is equipped and trained to continue the forward motion.
BioTC Executive Director Koey Keylon recently sat down with VeloCityOKC to talk about the topping out of Convergence, the Innovation District’s hub for advancements in science and technology, and the training that will take place.
“We’ve got a great network of two-year and four-year programs that teach a lot of theory and introductory level technologies, understandings and skills for biomanufacturing, but what we are missing is a true hands-on skills-based training center where this workforce can get hands-on experience with industry-specific and industry-scaled equipment,” Keylon shared.
The vision of BioTC is personal for Keylon. Entering the biomanufacturing field in the late 1990s, Keylon experienced Oklahoma’s shortage of skilled workers needed for the industry. To fill the gaps, new hires came from the food and beverage or healthcare and life sciences industries, because they knew how to be clean and concise with their work. But, training them on the technical lab equipment took time and patience, especially since failures could cost millions of dollars. Now, he has the chance to fulfill his dream job connecting individuals to the training and then to skilled positions here at home.
Oklahoma City will be one of the few training sites across the U.S. that offer this type of skilled training. And, as BioTC is in the heart of the Innovation District and not on a college campus, it will have the unique ability to connect with all the higher education institutions in our region. The three-week program is intended to be a jumping-off point for high school students, college students who are trying to figure out their next steps, or individuals looking for a career change.
This opportunity is one Keylon was not sure would ever happen for him in Oklahoma. Born and raised in Western Oklahoma, he grew up on the same farmland that his great-grandfather staked in the Land Run. Choosing a field that would typically take him to one of the coasts to find the best position, Keylon has spent all but two years of his 25-year career in Oklahoma. He never expected to see or be a part of the pioneering work happening today but feels incredibly honored.
The team Keylon is building all feel the same way. Everyone hired so far are Oklahomans who share the vision of creating an environment for future generations to have biotech-type jobs and career paths in Oklahoma. That way they do not need to go to San Diego and Boston to have successful careers.
The curriculum is designed in a way that following the three weeks of hands-on training, graduates will be able to walk across the Convergence campus into one of the biomanufacturing labs and into an entry-level position earning around $50,000.
When the program begins, the cohorts will consist of 10 students. Once BioTC develops an understanding for how the curriculum and students will flow, the facility will be able to accommodate up to 30 students at one time. While the first students are likely at least a year away, Keylon is building partnerships with Oklahoma City Public Schools, universities and industry leaders, and pushing forward to create opportunities for the next generation.
“I see this generational change for Oklahoma,” Keylon shared. “And to be a part of it, it gives me chills to think about it.”