In today’s environment, a stable, good-paying, engaging job you can proud of can feel like a unicorn. The reason finding a decent job feels so hard are complex, but the reality is there are many industries right here in the Inland Northwest that need employees—the problem is often how to get in the door.
Spokane Colleges’ Workforce Training programs are dedicated to helping train and connect workers that want a better job with the industries that need them. In this article, learn how the first graduates of Spokane Community College’s Intro to Biomanufacturing program have found a success in a new career.
Creating a Path to Better Jobs
Spokane’s healthcare advanced manufacturing sector is expanding, creating new opportunities for meaningful, well-paying careers. To help students find an entry point to this growing field, Spokane Community College (SCC) developed Introduction to Biomanufacturing —an industry-aligned program built in close partnership with Jubilant HollisterStier (JHS), a major contract manufacturer of healthcare products including sterile injectables, ophthalmics, otics and sterile topicals and liquids.
The program offers students a short, focused pathway into healthcare advanced manufacturing—and a job at JHS after graduation. Students can enter the program without prior science experience, making the training accessible to those starting a new career, shifting from another industry, or seeking specialized technical skills. The curriculum blends foundational biomanufacturing concepts with hands-on practice, allowing students to understand both the principles and the processes of advanced manufacturing for medical products.
The next classes for SCC’s Introduction to Biomanufacturing program begin in February, and registration is open. The standard fee for the ten-week program is $995, but many students will qualify to pay only $25, with most of their costs covered by grant funding.
How Graduates Have Found Success
In summer 2025, Sunny Leckie and Chad Borges were among the first to graduate from the program and land internships at JHS through the interview guaranteed to all graduates. Both are now working full-time jobs for JHS. In December 2025 Leckie and Borges discussed their experience with both the program, and as JHS employees.
“It's been really, really nice,” said Leckie, who had a background in retail sales before enrolling in the program and now works on JHS’s Environmental Monitoring team. “The work is very fulfilling, and it makes me feel pretty smart, and like I'm contributing to the community—and that's all I can really ever ask for.”
“It's nice to have a company to work for that I felt like not only had a position and an opportunity, but there were just some great stakes behind it,” said Borges, who has a varied background before JHS including work at a brewery. “It’s something that I’m proud of, that I'm proud to tell my family, that we get behind, and that helps contribute to humanity.”
SCC created the program with direct input from Jubilant HollisterStier, whose Spokane facility has become an anchor of the region’s healthcare and manufacturing industries. JHS’s experienced staff helped shape course content so students gain the real-world competencies required in production environments—such as aseptic technique, equipment operation, process monitoring, and understanding rigorous quality standards.
“I think the program was pretty instrumental,” said Borges. “Having this program, and then hearing that it was a path to get into JHS and to have that interview—to have that knowledge that they wanted me to have going into it—was great, and ten weeks is so much better than the year or two it would take to otherwise. It was worth its weight in gold.”
Applied learning is central to the experience, giving students a clear sense of what daily work looks like in advanced manufacturing settings while building confidence in lab and production environments.
“It definitely prepared me for a lot of what I thought I would be going into,” said Leckie. “Learning about aseptic technique was really interesting. And learning all of the working parts that go into it was a lot more fascinating—Learning the hands on of working with petri dishes and plates, and learning how to plate surfaces and working with the gowning material. That was really informative and made me feel very prepared for the position.”
Strengthening Spokane’s Workforce
Spokane area employers in fast-growing technical industries need workers who are prepared on day one, and community colleges rely on strong industry partnerships to ensure training aligns with current technologies, staffing needs, and safety requirements. Jubilant HollisterStier supports instruction through subject-matter expertise, on-site exposure, and opportunities for students to observe manufacturing operations. This depth of collaboration helps ensure that graduates are well-positioned for their next steps.
The success of the program’s first cohort shows the impact of this approach. Graduates from many backgrounds finished the program with foundational knowledge and practical experience that prepares them for entry-level roles in healthcare advanced manufacturing.
Said Leckie, “Coming from a place where retail kind of makes you feel really stuck, this was a really, really good opportunity to get out of that.”
As Spokane continues to grow its profile in healthcare and advanced manufacturing, the Introduction to Biomanufacturing program demonstrates how education and industry can work together to meet shared workforce needs.
Learn more and take the next step.
Prospective students interested in launching a career in healthcare advanced manufacturing can learn more about SCC’s Introduction to Biomanufacturing program and register for the upcoming February cohort by visiting SCC’s website.