[Press Release] GMGI Waives all Biotech Academy Tuition for 2022-2023
(GLOUCESTER, MA) Gloucester Biotechnology Academy has announced a new financial structure to support young adults’ investment in their futures. Through the generous support of donors, tuition and fees will be waived in their entirety for the Academy’s incoming class of 2023. In addition, qualifying students will receive stipends to help support their living expenses.
“In a post-pandemic world, there is an urgent need for accessible, results-driven opportunities to pave new futures,” said Chris Bolzan, GMGI’s Executive Director. “The Academy provides this opportunity, and we are committed to ensuring that there are zero financial barriers.”
The Academy trains young adults for professional careers as life sciences laboratory technicians. Students spend seven months of hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art teaching facility located in Gloucester’s Blackburn Center, followed by a three-month paid internship at a biotech company in Boston, Cambridge, or the North Shore.
“Responding to recent economic hardships and the increasing cost of living, we recognize the strain tuition can place on interested students,” said Laura Richane, GMGI’s Director of Enrollment and Partnerships. “Everyone deserves a chance to invest in their future.”
Graduates go on to full time employment – or extended internships — at companies like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Synlogic, Sherlock Biosciences and University of Massachusetts Medical School. The average starting salary for the Academy Class of 2022 is $50,000. Outcomes continue to rival local four-year colleges, with a graduation rate over 80% and over 90% career placement.
“It’s the incredible financial support from our community that allows us to offer this year’s program for free,” said Michele May, GMGI Board Chair. “Academy donors share the GMGI team’s passion for providing a new category of career opportunities to Cape Ann’s young adults.”
Spaces are still available for the incoming class of 2023, with start dates in both August and November. The program is open to students between the ages of 18 and 30 with a high school diploma or equivalent — no math or science experience is needed to apply. Interested students can learn more and download the application on our website (gmgi.org/education/apply).
Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute addresses critical challenges facing our oceans, human health and the environment through innovative scientific research and education. By bringing world-class science and transformative workforce development to Gloucester’s historic waterfront, GMGI is catalyzing the regional economy. GMGI’s Gloucester Biotechnology Academy, a 10-month certificate training program to train recent high school graduates for careers as lab technicians, recently graduated its sixth class. Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute’s state-of-the-art research institute on Gloucester harbor opened in 2018 and is located at 417 Main Street.