Frederick organizations launch partnership to train veterans in life sciences

Jan. 17—Two Frederick-based organizations are partnering to offer Maryland's military veterans career training in the state's budding life sciences field.

Organizers expect to launch online training for the program in the summer of 2023.

The partnership is between Platoon 22, a veterans services and career-training nonprofit, and Biohub Maryland, an initiative from the Maryland Tech Council that offers skills training and career resources in life sciences.

The goal of the partnership is to provide additional resources for veterans to learn fundamentals in biomanufacturing, technical writing and data analysis, according to a press release.

"The partnership with Biohub allows us to offer an opportunity for veterans to really level up" in their careers, said Platoon 22 Director of Operations Niki Falzone in an interview.

"When [veterans] are transitioning out, it's hard to get their military careers to translate into a civilian resume and to get placed in a job that has meaning, purpose and frankly a salary that they're used to. ... A school in the life sciences is an unbelievable chance for them to have a mission that they're dedicated to."

Platoon 22 offers various services for veterans outside of career prep, ranging from connection to counseling and mental health resources to on-site shower and laundry access.

Falzone said that roughly 400,000 Maryland veterans live within a one-hour drive of Platoon 22's Frederick offices. When Platoon 22 and Biohub Maryland launch the in-person classroom portion of their life sciences training program, which Falzone anticipates to begin in 2024, their Frederick location will provide access to a large swath of veterans in the area.

The prominence of life science businesses in the Frederick area, too, add to the potential convenience for veterans looking to transition to careers in that field, according to Kelly Schulz, CEO of Maryland Tech Council. Schulz said that the industry's need to expand its workforce lines up with veterans looking for careers in life sciences.

"We've all been talking about for several years now the shortage of workforce in specific areas," Schulz said. "We have to be able to accommodate the workforce system and be able to provide quality candidates for the growing [life sciences] jobs here."

Other examples of training that the two organizations will provide include cell and gene therapy and vaccine manufacturing fundamentals.

Kite, a biopharmaceutical company with a cell therapy manufacturing facility in Urbana, recently announced facility expansions that are expected to add 100 new jobs by 2026.

Such expansions complement Platoon 22 and Biohub Maryland's career transitioning services, according to Schulz.

"[Life science businesses] are gonna get the exact type of new employees that they've been looking for all this time," Schulz said, "and we're here to help with that process."

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