Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
GLOUCESTER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Gloucester Biotechnology Academy at the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute is accepting applications for the second cohort of its Class of 2025.
The free, nine-month program gives students ages 18-30 hands-on STEM training and a lab internship.
"They learn molecular biology, cell culture, and biomanufacturing," education director John Doyle told WBZ NewsRadio Wednesday. "Any one of those three skills is employable in and of itself, and they learn three."
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The program has waived tuition and fees since 2023. Qualifying students can also get a monthly $1,000 stipend to help with living expenses.
"We kinda looked at our books and said, You know what, we’re not making a whole lot of money doing this, and all it does is basically put up another barrier," Doyle said. "Science has always been sort of elitist, right? And we don’t agree with that."
Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
According to Doyle, the majority of students come to the school without much experience besides retail, food service, and ridesharing.
"We look, you know, all over the world for people and for talent. There’s this whole pool of talent that’s right here in front of us, right behind the scenes," said Doyle.
The goal of the program is to train students in lab work and build a pipeline to a better-paying industry with room for growth.
"There is a huge demand for entry-level lab technicians in the state of Massachusetts," Doyle noted. "I’ve heard numbers as high as 40,000 openings in the next five years."
Another goal is simply to give students a confidence boost.
"A large part of our job, as well as science teaching, is building confidence," Mel, a teacher at the academy, told WBZ NewsRadio. "Our students have a lot of imposter syndrome."
Classes begin on Jan. 6, 2025. Interested students can apply online.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.