If it's not one thing, it's another.
So goes the philosophy at MetroTech, a government-sponsored program that moves people into information technology jobs. During boom times, the $20 million initiative paid to train unemployed workers in computer programming, networking and other skills if local businesses agreed to hire them afterward.
But when the bottom dropped out of the information-technology labor market, many companies refused to bring on junior employees who had little paid experience.
Now MetroTech is switching gears to appeal to a different kind of employer: the dozens of biotechnology firms that have sprouted up across the region.
"We've seen some changes in the IT field," director Bill Carlson said. "At the same time, we were hearing about a growing demand on the biotech side. We're certainly not the [entire] solution to the biotech workforce shortage, but we want to be part of the solution."
The program is open to businesses in the Washington area that want to hire workers dismissed through no fault of their own or those who want to improve their skills to move into the information-technology or biotech sectors. Recent community college and university graduates also may be eligible to participate.
Carlson said MetroTech already has signed contracts with six biotech employers. He is negotiating with two more businesses to find workers to fill animal care, laboratory and drug manufacturing jobs in the region.
For Charles River Laboratories International Inc., a Massachusetts-based firm with outposts in Frederick and Gaithersburg, the program is already paying dividends.
Charles River and MetroTech together find college graduates to for the firm's corporate response team. The scrubs-clad workers spend about 20 percent of their time in a classroom at Charles River. Otherwise, they serve as a kind of "super temp," cleaning the labs, analyzing data and caring for animals. Participants earn $30,000 a year, plus benefits. They win the chance to apply for other jobs within the firm after a year of service.
"You don't have to have a particular background to have a career in this industry," said Kimberlyn Cahill, a manager for training and employee development at Charles River. "These workers are not out there. We have to train them ourselves."
