Aseptic Technician Program

The Aseptic Technician program provides students with the technical skills necessary to successfully perform the responsibilities required of an aseptic technician or a manufacturing associate in the cell and gene therapy industries. As an aseptic technician, students will perform operations in a cleanroom environment, using proper controls to assure aseptic processing, while focusing on safety and quality, cleaning, and isolation procedures.

Students will learn how to operate and maintain lab equipment, make solutions and materials as needed, use support systems (e.g. LIMS), adhere to good documentation practices, follow compliance and regulatory requirements and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and follow and execute Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), as well as other industry-related skills.

Benefits

This program is a free opportunity for students. This project is funded by the Workforce Solutions Grant from the City of Philadelphia's Department of Commerce. 

Trainees selected for the program will receive a stipend of $15/hour while in training. Participants will also receive individualized career counseling and support with résumé development, job searching and interview preparation. Students will be onsite for a two-week internship and have deep engagement with the trainers. On the last day of the training, students will be interviewed by industry partners for open positions. Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a certificate of program completion.

Career Opportunities

Current market data shows average wages aseptic technicians in the region starting from $20/hour. The position of an aseptic technician typically comes with benefits such as paid sick time and employer paid health insurance. The number of positions far surpasses the number of applicants in the field. This sector overall has grown by 127% over last three years in the region and is expected to grow further in the coming decade.

Minimum Entry Requirements

• All applicants must have successfully completed BIOL 241 (Principles of Microbiology) and FNMT 118 (Intermediate Alegebra) at CCP, or microbiology and college math from another college
• All applicants must provide an essay stating why they should be selected for the program
• All applicants must provide a letter of reference from an individual (teacher) who can attest to the general aptitude and skillsets of the student and their ability to be successful in the program

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this training program, participants will be familiar with:

• An overview of the biotechnology industry, regulation, and pharmaceutical lifecycle
• The requirements of a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) environment and knowing the difference between a GMP and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) workplace
• How to safely work in a laboratory following safety procedures, including: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), identification of hazardous conditions, safety gear, MSDS and waste handling, hand hygiene, and how to use appropriate personal protective equipment and garbing
• Use of laboratory instruments such as pipettes (regular and micropipettes), weighing balance, pH meter, centrifuge and spectrophotometers
• Preparation of solutions (molar, percentages, weight/volume, and standard solution preparation and calculation)
• Effective use of a Laminar Air Flow Workbench (LAFW), and how to perform low- and medium-risk sterile aseptic techniques
• Preparing solid and liquid media, and sterilize the musing autoclave/filtration techniques
• Communication, interpersonal and other critical skills in the job interview process; work habits and attitudes necessary for job success