Central Virginia’s biosciences industry is growing faster than other areas across the state and the nation and the region must act now to prepare its workforce for a wave of advanced manufacturing and life sciences expansion.
Today, CvilleBioHub released Talent Pathways: A Biosciences Workforce and Talent Strategy for GO Virginia Region 9, a comprehensive workforce roadmap developed in partnership with TEConomy Partners and funded by GO Virginia
The Talent Pathways initiative was made possible through the partnership and leadership of GO Virginia Region 9, with critical support from Albemarle County Economic Development and the City of Charlottesville Economic Development.
The report finds that:
- Regional bioscience employment grew 23% between 2019 and 2024, outpacing overall private-sector growth
- The industry now supports 2,100 jobs across 254 establishments
- Industrial biosciences roles average $121,000 in annual wages, positioning the sector among the region’s highest-value economic drivers
- Yet less than one-third of bachelor’s-level life sciences graduates remain in the region long term, signaling a critical talent retention gap
“This is the moment,” said Nikki Hastings, Executive Director of CvilleBioHub. “We are no longer an emerging cluster. We are a scaling biosciences economy. But scaling requires coordination. This strategy ensures that workforce development keeps pace with investment, so the jobs being created here are filled by talent developed and retained here.”
A Rapidly Expanding Industry and Rising Demand
The Talent Pathways report lands at a pivotal time.
Major investments underway or recently announced include:
- AstraZeneca’s $4.5 billion advanced manufacturing facilities at the Rivanna Futures site, expected to generate approximately 600 highly skilled direct jobs
- Afton Scientific’s $200 million sterile injectable expansion
- BIO-CAT’s fermentation facility expansion
- The University of Virginia’s Manning Institute of Biotechnology
These investments significantly increase demand for:
- Medical scientists
- Biological and laboratory technicians
- Skilled biomanufacturing production workers
- QA/QC professionals
- Biomedical engineers
- Software developers and data scientists
According to Ryan Helwig, Principal at TEConomy Partners and lead author of the study, the region’s strength is clear, as is the urgency.
“Central Virginia’s bioscience cluster is growing, diversifying, and becoming more specialized,” Helwig said. “But the ecosystem today operates as a collection of strong programs rather than a fully integrated talent system. With large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing entering the region, coordinated workforce strategy is no longer optional, but is essential for competitiveness.”
Three Strategic Priorities
The report outlines three mutually reinforcing priorities
- Scale Technician and Laboratory Workforce Pipelines
Demand is accelerating for bioscience technicians, lab support professionals, and skilled production workers. The region must expand community college credentials, apprenticeships, and experiential learning programs.
- Strengthen High-Skill Science and Engineering Pathways
Advanced roles in research, engineering, clinical trials, and bioinformatics require deeper integration between industry and higher education — including expanded internships, translational research fellowships, and commercialization-focused training.
- Formalize Ecosystem Coordination and Retention
The region’s educational assets are strong, from K–12 CTE to community colleges to UVA, but currently operate in silos. The strategy calls for a formal regional framework to align workforce development pathways and increase awareness of local career opportunities.
“GO Virginia’s investment in this study reflects a commitment to building high-wage, innovation-driven industries across the Commonwealth,” said Pace Lochte, GO Virginia. “This strategy positions Central Virginia to both grow and compete nationally for advanced manufacturing and life sciences leadership.”
Competing Nationally
As pharmaceutical manufacturers including AstraZeneca establish their presence in Charlottesville, and as companies like Eli Lilly and Merck expand operations elsewhere in the broader Central Virginia corridor competition for specialized biosciences talent will intensify.
The Talent Pathways strategy emphasizes the need to:
- Increase cross-company awareness and collaboration
- Expand internships and professional development programs
- Strengthen technician pipeline capacity
- Promote Central Virginia’s biosciences brand identity nationally
“Regions that win in biosciences integrate workforce, research, and commercialization,” Helwig said. “Central Virginia has the assets. The opportunity now is to activate them as a unified system.”
Call to Action
CvilleBioHub is inviting:
- Regional employers to participate in implementation working groups
- Academic partners to align program expansion with identified high-demand roles
- Policymakers to support scaling technical training capacity
- Philanthropic and private-sector partners to invest in talent retention and coordination
“The question is whether we are prepared to meet the growth that is coming,” Hastings said. “This strategy ensures we are.”