Building Skills for Bioscience Careers

Three people stand in a lab, one is wearing a white lab coat, one is wearing scrubs.

Congratulations to the first cohort of PVCC students earning microcredentials from the Bioscience Core Skills Institute (BCSI). BCSI microcredentials offer deep, targeted assessments of essential laboratory skills such as small volume metrology and aseptic technique. PVCC is embedding these credentials into its Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing courses to help student solidify practical skills, build professional vocabulary and stand out in the job market. This integration fosters deeper, more meaningful learning for the students and helps them be more fully prepared for professional success.Student smiles standing between two professors in white lab coats

In a newsletter BCSI shared, "Virginia is in the middle of the largest life sciences expansion in its history. AstraZeneca's $4.5 billion facility, the largest single investment in the company's history, is under construction in Albemarle County, minutes from PVCC's campus. Eli Lilly and Merck are building at scale across the Commonwealth, and the new Virginia Center for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing is targeting up to 2,500 trained learners per year across the Richmond-Petersburg-Charlottesville corridor."*

With the direction and leadership of Director of Biotechnology and Professor of Biology Dr. Anne Allison, Professor of Anatomy and Physiology Dr. Donna Hoefner and the partnership of BCSI, PVCC is leading the way to certify a new group of BSCI Certified Evaluators.

The event kicked off with a full day of intensive practical testing for future evaluators, followed by a comprehensive training workshop. Led by Angela Consani, BCSI’s CEO and Co-Founder (who also serves as the inaugural member of PVCC's Biotech Advisory Board), the event brought together key community stakeholders:

  • PVCC and Virginia Community College System (VCCS) colleagues
  • Local K-12 teachers
  • Area biotech industry professionals

The training highlighted the exceptional difficulty of these microcredentials. Described as humbling and truly challenging, even seasoned academics and industry experts did not achieve a 100% initial pass rate. This high standard underscores the true rigor of one-on-one practical evaluations and reinforces the vital role that failure plays in genuine scientific learning.

By incorporating BCSI microcredentials, PVCC is significantly leveling up its lab skills training. This certification event successfully strengthens the collaborative pipeline between K-12 education, higher education, and the private sector. Ultimately, expanding this local network of BCSI Certified Evaluators helps grow the Charlottesville-Albemarle biotech ecosystem while ensuring students graduate prepared for future academic and professional success.

BCSI writes, "The demand for skilled technicians is coming. These facilities will come online, and they will need people who are ready with standardized, verified credentials that employers can trust. BCSI is proud to be part of building that pipeline."*

Three people in lab coats stand in a lab. One is observing and holding a clipboard

 

The majority of content is from a story, "Building the Biotech Ecosystem: Evaluator Training at PVCC" written by Director of Biotechnology and Professor of Biology Anne Allison, and shared internally at PVCC July 10, 2026. 

*Content from an article in the Bioscience Core Skills Institute July 2026 Program Manager Newsletter.