Biotechnology is coming of age in North Carolina. Are you ready? Piedmont Community College's new BioWork Process Technician course can prepare you for this growing industry.

The BioWork course trains you for a career as a process technician in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and chemical manufacturing industries. This 128-hour course brings together the basics of manufacturing technology, the fundamentals of science, and the job-seeking essentials needed to provide marketable skills for manufacturing technicians in the Biotech field. The course is offered twice a year on the Person County Campus. The 16-week course is offered in the spring, January - May and the fall, August - December. The approximate cost is $137 that includes registration, textbook and accident insurance.

Units of Instruction

• Your New Job - (12 hours) General introduction to the course and to working as a process technician. Students will learn about and discuss important features of process technician jobs and typical employer expectations. The unit includes two field trips to process manufacturing facilities, where students can see the kinds of environments in which they might work. By the end of this unit, students should be able to decide if work as a process technician is right for them.
  
• Working Safely - (4 hours) This unit teaches the importance of safety and safety awareness. The unit is not intended as a comprehensive treatment of safety but provides a helpful foundation for the more specific safety training that is provided by employers.
  
• Building Quality into the Product - (12 hours) This unit looks at the foundations of various quality systems common in process manufacturing such as ISO and GMP. Unit activities help students understand how conscientious employees achieve quality goals during every phase of production. The emphasis is on GMP as an example of a comprehensive quality system.
  
• Measuring Process Variables - (20 hours) The unit teaches students how to make measurements using the metric system and how to convert between the English and metric systems. A basic math review is included. Students learn about industrial measurements including length, volume, mass, temperature, pressure, flow, and level. Students use appropriate measurement instruments, make calculations, and properly record measurement data. Basic physics concepts are included where appropriate.
  
• Transforming Matter (Chemistry) - (20 hours) This unit introduces students to the chemistry that is the foundation for much of process manufacturing. Students learn the basics of elements, chemical compounds, and chemical reactions. Working in a laboratory, they learn to use a pH meter, make solutions, follow chemical safety guidelines, and practice reading and using MSDSs.
  
• Learning the Nuts & Bolts - (20 hours) This unit describes process technology, process equipment (tanks, piping, pumps, and valves), plant utilities, and waste treatment. Students learn how to read simple process flow diagrams and how to view manufacturing processes as integrated systems.
  
• Controlling the Process - (8 hours) This unit describes how processes are controlled to achieve consistent product results. Principles of basic feedback control are described, together with the equipment elements involved. An introduction to reading P&IDs is included.
  
• Maintaining Sterile Processes (Microbiology) - (16 hours) This unit introduces bacteria, fungi, and viruses and explains why and how they are controlled during industrial processes. Students practice procedures for sterilizing liquids, using disinfectants, completing sterile transfers, and gowning. Students learn about their responsibilities in preventing contamination on the job and basic principles of working in clean rooms.
  
• Growing Living Cells (Cell Biology) - (12 hours) This unit is specific to bioprocessing and introduces students to fermentation and downstream processing. Students learn to make media and grow cells. The unit includes basic elements of bioreactor structure and process variables monitored during growth.
  
• Job Seeking Skills - (4 hours) This unit covers career exploration, job seeking skills, resume writing and interviewing techniques.

Examples of Products made by Bioprocess Technicians: Antibiotics, Bleach, Cosmetics, Deodorant, Detergents, Paint, Plastics, Post-It Notes, Shampoo, Soft Drinks, Wine