Waters is partnering with NC BioNetwork Pharmaceutical Center which is a collaborative effort between Forsyth Technical Community College, Guilford Technical Community College, and the North Carolina Community College System. Under the pact, the company will utilize the new Analytical Training Lab, in Winston-Salem, NC, to educate and train students and workers in the life sciences.

The Pharmaceutical Centre has chosen to standardize on Waters analytical technologies, including Acquity UltraPerformance LC (UPLC) System, to teach students practical skills associated with instrument and method validation, as well as instrument qualification.

BioNetwork meets the specialized needs of the state’s biotechnology-based industries by training workers and developing educational curricula for the state’s 58 community colleges. It supports North Carolina to build on its success as a biopharmaceutical manufacturing centre by educating and training its incumbent workforce and the 2,000 to 3,000 new industry workers added each year to the state’s employment rolls in biotechnology.

“Our primary goal is to assist North Carolina’s Community College System with instructional tools and training necessary to meet the needs of workers in pharmaceutical manufacturing and other life science industries,” said Doug Drabble, Pharmaceutical Training Centre Manager.

This includes current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP), regulatory compliance, Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), quality control, and statistical analysis. We chose to partner with Waters since they have demonstrated their commitment and support of workplace development and training, he added.

Instructors will teach instrument and method validation and instrument qualification skills using Waters Acquity UPLC Systems.

BioNetwork supports the training and development needs of 7,800 workers and students at colleges, universities, and manufacturers throughout the state of North Carolina, including 1,600 who work in analytical laboratories. The Pharmaceutical Centre now offers both basic and advanced training and provides open enrolment to companies anywhere with workforce training needs. Waters will supplement the Centre's course offerings with advanced training in HPLC troubleshooting and maintenance, UPLC, HPLC method development and validation, and basic and advanced chromatography data management.

Waters Acquity UPLC System is regarded throughout the pharmaceutical industry for being reliable and rugged. It is also being recognized as the gold standard for quality control analysis. There is also a growing interest in demand for training on UPLC instrument qualification and instrument and method validation, stated Drabble.