Novo Nordisk Hosts Session on Johnston County Workforce Development (JCWD) Center

County Science Teachers are Among Participants

January 25, 2005

Johnston County high school science teachers, guidance counselors and career development coordinators converged January 12 and 13 at Novo Nordisk in Clayton to learn more about career opportunities in the BioProcess Technology fields and to hear of future plans for the Johnston County Workforce Development (JCWD) Center.

Steve Dawson, director of human resources at Novo Nordisk, introduced the groups to the insulin production company and gave an overview of the products produced locally and abroad. Ben Cox, chemistry manager at Novo Nordisk, hosted a tour of the company’s facilities, and chemist Shannon Colavito performed an experiment measuring the normality of solution used in the production of insulin.

Johnston Community College (JCC) and Johnston County Economic Development representatives are hard at work throughout the county to educate the public about the JCWD Center and the planned programming for the center. A core team of representatives was on hand for the science teachers’ event to discuss the opportunities the center will present to area high school students and the educational opportunities students can take advantage of, even as high school students.

Interim JCWD Center Director Joy Callahan discussed an overview of plans for the building and informed the groups that construction is 20 percent complete on the center. Discovery Room Coordinator and Johnston County Economic Development representative Ann Game shared plans for the Discovery Room, a room in the center that will be devoted to special exhibits and experiments promoting the various career opportunities available throughout the county and surrounding areas. JCC Dean of Curriculum Programs, Kay Lanier, and Business Technology Department Chair, DeeDee Daughtry, introduced the newly established BioProcess Technology and Associate of Science/Biological Sciences curriculum programs.

"Administrators, science teachers, and the career development coordinators appreciate the chance to tour Novo Nordisk, and we are all very impressed by what we saw. We are also very excited about the opportunities JCC has in store for their students and are eager to spread the word to our students," states Anne Meredith, Johnston County high schools curriculum coordinator.

Tucked away on eight acres of land off Powhatan Road in Clayton, the JCWD Center is a state-of-the-art educational and skills training center. Being constructed on land donated by Novo Nordisk, the center will offer life sciences programming for the existing pharmaceutical workforce and open the fascinating world of biotechnology to people elementary school aged to adult.