The Biotechnology college program at Toronto's Centennial College not only trains students for careers as bench technicians (in quality control and quality assurance) in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. It also gives them control over their educational path.

After they successfully complete two years of training, students are equipped with the knowledge they need to graduate and begin working in the field. However, they may also continue into a third year of specialized topics - advanced biotechnology and microbial genetics or systematic microbiology - that will allow them to graduate with an Advanced Ontario College Diploma. In addition to their college credential, students also receive training in Occupational Health and Safety, WHMIS, GMP and HACCP.

The program - which has been a repeat recipient of Centennial College President's Academic Program Recognition Award for outstanding student satisfaction - emphasizes industrial microbiology as well as chemistry (analytical), organic and biochemistry. In addition, it highlights laboratory techniques, including appropriate safety procedures.

The lab work is facilitated from Centennial College's Morningside Campus, which is the most high-tech of the college's several locations. It contains modern tools and equipment that allow students to test out the skills that will benefit them as they enter the biotechnology technician field, including: isolating, enumerating and identifying microorganisms from a wide range of samples; preparing specimens for staining; becoming an expert light-microscopist and more.

SOURCE Centennial College