Bunker Hill Community College Holds Biomedical Careers Graduation Ceremony
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) celebrated the graduation of 18 students from the Cambridge Biomedical Careers Program (CBCP) in a ceremony that also marked the 20th anniversary of the program. CBCP is a collaborative effort between BHCC's Workforce Development Center, the Just-A-Start Corporation and the City of Cambridge. It targets low-income Cambridge residents who complete - at no cost - a nine-month intensive 18-credit program that provides the academic background and hands-on skills needed to gain entry-level biotech jobs in the greater Cambridge area.
Gordon Gottsche, Executive Director of Just-A-Start, made opening remarks at the ceremony, held on May 9th. Dr. James Canniff, BHCC's Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services gave an official welcome on behalf of the College. Representative Alice Wolf (Cambridge) congratulated both Just-A-Start and BHCC on the success of the program.
CBCP's placement rate is more than 70 percent and has an average starting salary of nearly $36,000 and an average graduation rate of 88 percent. More than 360 BHCC graduates are currently employed in 15 or more local biotech firms, from start-ups to well-established international companies. "The program is a wonderful example of successful collaboration between industry and education," said BHCC Executive Director of Workforce Development Les Warren. "It shows that BHCC is making a contribution to the biotechnology field in what is often called 'the biotech capital of the world'."
View Resolutions honoring Just-A-Start Biomedical Careers Program
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).