Biotechnology College Program Benefits Future Bench Technicians
In areas of manufacturing - whether food, pharmaceuticals or cosmetics -
a biotechnology technician (also known as a bench technician) plays a
critical role. This person is in charge of assuring quality control,
which is vital before the products go out for human use or consumption.
Among the knowledge that a biotechnology technician must have are the
know-how to isolate, enumerate and identify microorganisms from many
types of samples (water, soil, air, your body, and food, pharmaceutical
and cosmetic products); prepare specimens for staining and using a
light-microscope; prepare microbiological media and reagents; culture
pathogenic microbes; handle materials and instruments such as pH and BOD
meters, Gas Chromatographs, spectrophotometers (regular/IR/UV), HPLC’s
etc; and design and perform their own microbiology experiments.
Meanwhile, companies that hire biotechnology technicians include: Kisko
Products, Hermann Laue Spice Company, Apotex Inc., Agropur - Divisional
Natrel, Mill Street Brewery, MAXXAM Analytics, Campbell Soup Company,
bioMerieux Analytics, Griffith Laboratories and Cosmetica Laboratories
Inc.
To ensure they are ready for this range of duties, bench technicians attend post-secondary programs such as Centennial College’s Biotechnology Technician
– Industrial Microbiology. This offering takes two years to complete
and applicants must present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School
Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older; have
completed English Grade 12 C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade
required) or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for
Admission; and Mathematics Grade 11 M or U, or 12 C or U, or equivalent
(minimum grade required) or take a Centennial College Engineering Math
Skills Assessment for Admission.
Centennial College’s four campuses are split by Schools of Study and
this biotechnology college program is based at Morningside, which gives
students the advantage of learning industrial microbiology as well as
chemistry (analytical), organic and biochemistry in fully equipped
laboratories. This also allows the biotechnology college program to
employ a project approach that enhances problem-solving and research
skills, laboratory techniques, including appropriate safety procedures.
Split into four semesters, each semester offers increasingly advanced
levels of study. During the first semester, biotechnology college
programs students attend foundation courses such as Intro to Biological
Systems, Chemistry, College Communications, Occupational Health and
Safety, Microcomputer Applications of Technology and Mathematics. In
semester two, students complete another level of College Communications
and are also introduced to Microbiology, Microbial Techniques, Lab
Instrumentation, Inorganic Chemistry for Microbiology. Half way through
their studies, students partake in their first Microbiology Project and
also complete courses such as Food Microbiology, Organic Chemistry,
Analytical Chemistry and more. And the final semester of this
biotechnology college offering sees another Microbiology Project and
advanced courses such as Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Recombinant DNA
Technology, Biogeochemistry and more.
It’s worth noting that Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists
accredit the biotechnology college program, having deemed it as meeting
the national technology accreditation requirements. In addition, the
Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and
Technologists recognizes the Biotechnology Technician - Industrial
Microbiology program as meeting all the academic requirements for
certification in the Technician Category. These national accreditations
support program quality and provide mobility for graduates.
Emma wrote this piece. She offers insight into the biotechnology college program at Centennial College and includes a semester-by-semester breakdown.