On Monday, September 16th, 2024, members of our and Skills Initiative teams joined representatives from The Wistar Institute, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc., PIDC, Philadelphia Works, Inc., Life Sciences Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia Department of Commerce in hosting Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) at The Wistar Institute to visit the current cohort in the Biomedical Technician Training Program.
In 2022, Congresswoman Scanlon helped deliver $525,000 for PIDC’s Navy Yard Skills Initiative to help fund trainings such as this, where unemployed and underemployed Philadelphia residents can connect with roles in industries such as cell and gene therapy companies in University City and the Navy Yard.
In the current 24-week paid training, participants take part in a full-time, hands-on laboratory orientation at The Wistar Institute before transitioning to externships at the Iovance iCTC (Cell Therapy Center) at the Navy Yard or Integral Molecular in University City. After the conclusion of the program, graduates will interview for open positions with roles starting at $21/hour. We are grateful to Congresswoman Scanlon for her support of this collaborative work.
