NORTH SHORE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD

Annual Board Meeting March 14 , 2013

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Chair’s Report• WIB Association Quarterly Meeting

– Youth Career Development and Employment

• Status of federal activities• Other

We put the North Shore to Work -

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We put the North Shore to Work -

Life Sciences Industry on the North Shore- project consultants Jack Leonard, Sue Long, and Bruce Turner

• The life sciences industry is considered an emerging industry in the NSWIB’s Labor Market Blueprint (2010)

• The industry is complex and evolving with new scientific discoveries and advances in medicine

• We conducted a study to update information and reflect important industry sectors and workforce skills and needs

• Our results showed that the industry remains active and is growing

• There are clear segment focuses with demand for a highly trained workforce

• Feedback from company interviews generated ideas to enhance the workforce and strengthen industry relationships

Executive Summary

• Catalogue the LifeSciences companies in the region- Determine sub-sector focus and strengths

• Understand the qualifications and experience profiles of the workforce- Academic qualifications

- Practical experience and certification

- Other critical skills and competencies

• Identify gaps and recommend training concepts to address these needs

• Research the concept of Bio-instrumentation Core Facilities

• Solicit interest in participation in collaborations to strengthen and enhance the industry

Goals of the project

• Company database compiled by NSWIB, NSTC and NSIV

• Engage consultants with knowledge and industry network

• Develop an interview survey tool

• Conduct outreach to companies with goal to interview 50% of the companies

• Collect and analyze data and report findings:

- Review with regional partners, educators, and industry

• Propose next steps:- Potential training programs and services to fill skills and

experience gaps

Methodology

North Shore WIB Labor Market Blue Print (2010)

The Life Sciences framework is diverse and fluid across industry sectors

North Shore WIB Labor Market Blue Print (2010)

The Life Sciences framework is diverse and fluid across industry sectors

• We documented 80 Life Sciences companies in the North Shore region

• Company database was updated to reflect:

- mergers and acquisitions (7)

- relocations to other regions (6)

- new or missing life sciences companies (10)

- non-life science companies (20+)

• In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 (44%) of the companies

• This sub-set represents approximately 4,600 employees in Massachusetts (all locations)

• Half of the 35 companies said their workforce expanded in 2012

Interview results - statistics

• Founder/CEO residency was the predominant reason for company’s location on the North Shore

• The region includes noteworthy industry pioneers and sector leaders

- NEB, Waters, Analogic, AbioMed

• However, we also saw strong entrepreneurial activity with new start ups and regional offices moving in

- NSIV incubator, Triple Ring

• For non-life sciences companies this as an attractive market and are looking for ways to participate

- TUV SUD America

• Workforce is well educated and largely local

Interview results - other highlights

Sector Description Company Examples

ReagentsReagents are an essential part of routine life sciences R&D, supporting Drug development and Diagnostics

New England BiolabsCell Signaling TechnologiesEnzymatics

Instruments

Specialized equipment and devices used by scientists, laboratory workers to perform experiments, process samples, take measurements, gather data

Hettich InstrumentsJeolSage Sciences

Medical DevicesInstrument, apparatus, implant used to prevent or treat disease or condition, or deliver therapy

AbioMedAnalogicMicroline Surgical

Region revealed strong focus in 3 sectors

Analysis based on 35 companies

Interim analysis based on 70 companies

City/TownNumber of companies Representative companies

Beverly 43

Waters, Thermo Fisher, Cell Signaling, Cummings Center, NSIV

Danvers 12 Abiomed, Cherry Hill Drive

Peabody 5 Analogic, Centennial Drive

Salem 5 US Biologics, Shetland Park

Gloucester 4

Lynn 3

Ipswich 2

Topsfield 2

Saugus 1

Co-location has created Ecosystems around industry pioneers and leaders

✓

The industry attracts a broad spectrum of talent

Reagents Instruments Medical Devices

Research Scientists

Skilled scientist/manager (applications/product/team)

Laboratory Technicians

Manufacturing/Quality

Technical/Customer Support

Sales/Field Support

Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical, Software, Quality)

Specialist (automation, molding)

Assembler/machine operatorsengineering technicians

Procurement/Logistics/Warehousing

Admin, Marketing, Website, etc.

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓✓

✓

✓

✓✓

✓✓✓✓

✓ ✓ ✓

There is a strong demand for college level training

Data based on 35 company interviews

Minimum Qualificationfor workforce

(%)

Analysis based on 35 companies

Hands-on, job related experience is also valued

Companies who agree (%)

CERTIFICATIONS:- Safety- CAD/CAM- Medical

Technologists

• 80% companies revealed challenging positions to fill

• Demand for combination skills or some specific qualification or experience

• Pressing need for Engineers, especially electromechanical, software

• Scientists with specific skills (e.g. BioInformatics), or combinations (e.g. Chem/Physics with Bio)

• Sales, Field Specialist, Technical Service who interface with customers require technical knowledge and business acumen

• Technical Managers

• Regulatory Affairs

Survey revealed skills gaps

• Communications skills (writing, presentation, verbal)

• Complex problem solving

• Critical thinking

• Team work

• Professionalism

• Quality systems basics - how to document control, data management, etc.

Survey revealed competency needs

Findings related to analytical instrumentation and Bio-instrumentation Core Facilities

Analysis based on 35 companies

Support for Bio-instrumentation Core Facilities was influenced by company sector and size

Analysis based on 35 companies

• Strengthen the connection between industry and academia

- Starts in Grammar Schools

- Understand how science is applied to different career paths

- Real life manufacturing - what it takes to make a product

- Industry Post-Doc programs

• Need for internships across the board

- Integrate co-ops, internship, apprenticeships into college programs

- “For applicants fresh out of school, hands-on experience on advanced equipment is an absolute necessity”

Ideas enhancing the Life Sciences workforce

• Engineering talent hole

- Low participation by students from North Shore schools, reason not well understood

• Need for cross-training

- Encourage science students to minor in business and vice versa

- Technical background helps Marketing folk understand Customer Needs

• Interviews and hiring skills

- Rigid hiring practices by companies may pass over talented, capable individuals who fail the “checklist”

- Students lack interview skills

Ideas for enhancing the Life Sciences workforce continued..

• Venture capital, economic development support

• Better transportation and signage

• Cost containment on healthcare and regulatory approvals

• Need for ideas and mechanisms for bringing cohesion to the life sciences industries on the North Shore

Other ideas for enhancing the industry

Ideas for Life Sciences consortia and industry collaborations

• 70% companies were intrigued about the idea of a consortium

• Collaboration on research and development- B-testing for new technologies- Applications testing

• Share best practices - CRM, process workflow, etc.

• For hosting training sessions (distributor training)

• Networking- Access to talent pool for consultation, qualified

candidates- Development opportunity for employees

• The life science arena is a thriving on the North Shore with a strong legacy and entrepreneurial community

• Three important industry sectors populate the region: Reagents, Instruments, and Medical Devices

• Mature companies are manufacturing and distributing commercial products to life science and healthcare customers (supporting the Drug and Diagnostics industries)

• Skills demands on the workforce are high with ~ 70% requiring Bachelors degree as a minimum

• Valuable feedback was collected for enhancing the workforce through training and promoting a stronger relationship with academia

Outlook

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Workforce Systems CommitteeCareer Center Enhancements• Reduce “Bricks and Mortar“ commitment in favor of Consolidated

Career Center and Community Access Points.• Streamline the Administrative Staffing Patterns.• Reorienting existing frontline staff into teams to provide enhanced

core services that lead to jobs in our critical growth sectors.• Identify and cross-train existing staff into teams that can deliver

training and services at remote locations on a regular basis• Utilizing technology to improve access and reduce selected service

delivery costs.

Annual Report to the Legislature• Draft Report – will be mailed out end of March

We put the North Shore to Work -

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Skills Gap CommitteeOn-Line Learning Research

• Met with North Shore Community College…will meet with Salem State University staff as well…to learn about trends and data that local area post-secondary education is seeing

Long Term Unemployed Research• Tend to be younger and less educated• We need to target our program design with these issues in

mind• Mature Long-term Unemployed tend to more educated but 60+

has very low educational attainment

On-Line Job Posting Analytics• Reviewed 318 job postings in Manufacturing Industry

including occupational skills

New GED Test • Beginning to research the new GED test (2014), impact on

students and education providers (Adult Basic Education and WIA Youth Vendors)

We put the North Shore to Work -

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Partnership CommitteeMarketing Plan Update

• Update Labor Market Blueprint, WIB Brochure, and Sector Reports• Bi-monthly newsletter• Four editorials

New Partnership Development• Manufacturing

1. Four WIB Consortium• Life Sciences – potential in developing a consortium with these

companies

We put the North Shore to Work -

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Youth Pipeline Committee

Amp it Up Manufacturing Project• Partnership with North Shore Technology Council• Introduce Teachers to the North Shore Manufacturing Industry

WIA Youth RFP• Released on March 13th – Due on April 16th• Sub-Committee has been identified to review proposals and make

recommendations• Full Board will vote on proposals at May 9th meeting

F1rstJobs 2013• RFP released on March 11 – Due on April 21st• Will continue to seek out businesses to hire teen directly• YouthWorks funds from the State are being finalized• Fundraising efforts in place

We put the North Shore to Work -

NORTH SHORE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD

70 Washington StreetSuite 314 Salem, MA 01970Tel. 978.741.3805

www.northshorewib.com

Next meetings:May 9, 2013