LCCC Builds Biotech Pipeline for Local Jobs

Luke Yencho | Writer

Science Hall at LCCC will house new biotechnology labs and training facilities funded by a $5 million state grant.

Students attending Lehigh Carbon Community College will soon have new career opportunities closer than ever. 

LCCC recently received a $5 million grant from the state of Pennsylvania to renovate its Science Hall and launch new biotechnology programs. This is to be aligned with the arrival of Eli Lilly and the company’s planned $3.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the Lehigh Valley. According to the company’s official announcement, the site will focus on injectable medicines and device manufacturing, and is expected to create hundreds of high-skill jobs in the region. Thousands of jobs will also be created during the construction of the 925,000-square-foot manufacturing complex. 

Andrew King, Dean of Healthcare, Aviation, Mathematics, and Science at LCCC, believes the move will open up new career pathways for the next generation of workers across the Lehigh Valley. 

“It used to be… if you wanted to work in biotechnology, you could get educated here, but you couldn’t live here,” King said. “Now you can get educated here and work here, so it’s quite revolutionary.”

In the future, LCCC students will benefit from a new associate degree in applied science and biotechnology. However, this new program is designed to be flexible and offer other pathways for students. 

“One of the things our industry partner likes, and we like this too, is: Life throws curve balls at everyone. We all get them, whether we want them or not. They're coming,” said King. “So it really helps if you have ways to get on your academic pathway and off when you need to.” 

That’s why LCCC is creating a series of stackable credentials. Students can enroll in a few courses and earn a certificate without having to finish their associate degree. The certificates directly reflect entry-level job requirements sought by Eli Lilly. 

Renovations are already underway in Science Hall, which will now house teaching laboratories modeled after those found in Eli Lilly’s manufacturing facilities. “[Students are] going to benefit from these. We’ll be able to get more instruments –  more advanced equipment – so that you can get skills that employers want.”

The opportunity extends beyond science majors. “It takes a lot more than a person in a lab to run a company,” King said.

LCCC also hopes this new partnership can help draw additional biotech companies looking to develop local talent and build their workforce. “That is ideally the goal,” said King. “We’re going to really knock it out of the park here… and then hopefully that will attract others.”

With upgraded labs and equipment, along with new partnerships with innovators in the biotech space, LCCC is giving students the opportunity to turn their education into career experience here in the Lehigh Valley.