Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 3, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 19 W hile the life science sector may be boom- ing in Massachusetts, that does not mean it's easy to find talent in the sector. Companies are not only competing to be the next big things, but they're battling for skilled and quali- fied talent. is is why Milford-based Rentschler Biopharma, Inc. teamed up with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation and Worcester Polytechnic Institute to launch a training program to jump into the field with classroom and onsite training. So far, the program has gone through two cohorts of students, and Rentschler has hired 10 for the company's expanding Milford facility. "e program gave us the opportunity to find talent educated in the indus- try," said Mark Caswell, vice president and Milford site head for Rentschler Biopharma, which is headquartered in Germany. "is gives us the opportunity to expand our resource pool and for folks to transition into other industries." e apprenticeship program included eight weeks of MassBioEd curriculum and another eight weeks at WPI's Bio- manufacturing Education and Training Center to learn the fundamentals of biotech production. With that instruc- tion, the apprentices jumped into the field and got jobs, and Rentschler hired qualified candidates to take on some of the technical jobs needed in the modern biomanufacturing field. e German-arm of the company already has an apprentice program as well, which has allowed not only the training of talent but also the evaluation of potential employees before welcom- ing them into the Rentschler Biopharma family. is is important for the company as it expands its Central Massachusetts footprint with a new 22,000-square- foot expansion to its facility in Milford, which is the biggest expansion in the company's 151-year history. Rentschler Biopharma is a contract development and manufacturing company, or CDMO, and provides drug development and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical companies. ey partner on drug development and drug manufacturing. When it comes to hiring potential employees, the company has a set of specific jobs needing to be filled and a certain style of workflow to be adhered to, in order to keep things running smoothly and in conjunction with its partners. All of that takes time and training. With the MassBioEd-WPI apprentice- ship program, the company has found employees come prepared and know how to go about the work in the biosci- ence field. On top of that, the company has found apprentices feel a sense of pride in where and who they work for, and they stay with the company longer. "ey become part of the family," Caswell said. Rentschler Biopharma is evaluating the program, too, Caswell said, and see- ing how it can evolve further to help the company meet greater ambitions. M A N U F A C T U R I N G E X C E L L E N C E A W A R D S F O C U S W Rentschler Biopharma found talent through a MassBioEd-WPI partnership (Above) Mark Caswell, Rentschler Biopharma vice president and Milford site head. (Left) The Rentschler Biopharma facility in Milford is used to perform contract develop- ing and manufacturing for other company's products, particularly pharmaceuticals. PHOTOS | COURTESY OF RENTSCHLER BIOPHARMA, INC. Workforce Development Award R e n t s c h l e r B i o p h a r m a , I n c . Location: Milford Headquarters: Laupheim, Germany Industry subsector: Biotech CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) Founded in Central Massachusetts: 2019 Original founding in Germany: 1872, emerging from a local pharmacy Employees: 225 Top local executive: Mark Caswell, vice president and site head Primary product: As a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Rentschler Biopharma works with clients to bring biopharmaceuticals through the clinic and into the market. This includes therapies for serious and rare diseases, such as certain types of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Central Mass. expansion: Adjacent to the existing facility in Milford, the company has undertaken the largest expansion in its history. The new manufacturing center will add 22,000 square feet of manufacturing cleanroom space and house four new bioreactors. BY KEVIN KOCZWARA WBJ Staff Writer

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