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 Department of Commerce, City of Philadelphia.

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 resume development, job searching, and interview preparation. Students will be on-site for two-week internship and have deep engagement with the trainers. On the last day of the training, students will be interviewed by the industrial 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 Technician in the region starting from $20/hour. The position of an Aseptic Technician typically comes with the 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 provide an essay stating why they should be selected for the program.
• All applicants must provide a letter of reference. The letter should come 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:

• The major types of biomolecules that make up living organisms and their primary functions; type of cells, their structures, and the functions of sub-cellular organelles; difference between differentiation and division, and types of cell division.
• How the structure of organisms impacts their ability, including interactions with their biotic and abiotic environments.
• Explain the overview of the biotechnology industry, regulation, life cycle of a pharmaceutical
• The requirements of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) environment and know the difference between a GMP and GLP following 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, 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 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.

Program Dates and Location

Note: An assessment is given at the end of each module in order to proceed to the next module.

Questions?

Contact Diego Pinguil or Chris Lewis.