Fermentation Technician

**About the Program**

Are you interested building an exciting career in an innovative field that contributes to solving the planet’s environmental challenges'

RapidFermTech is an 8-week rapid upskilling program to train Fermentation Technicians, particularly for employment with Industrial Fermentation companies located in Nova Scotia, Canada. Applicants will be reviewed by employers who are in need of Fermentation Technicians and are interested in hiring graduates. The Industrial Fermentation industry is growing in Nova Scotia and as such fermentation skills are highly sought after and enable employees to build inspiring and well compensated careers.

The RapidFermTech training program will be delivered in partnership with INNOV, in Grand Falls, NB, and the Verschuren Centre, in Sydney, NS.

The program begins in April 2024 with 40 hours of guided online content, after which students will receive two weeks (10 days) of hands-on training at INNOV in Grand Falls, NB and four weeks (20 days) of hands-on training at the Verschuren Centre in Sydney, NS. The hands-on part of the program will include training on industry-relevant fermentation equipment. Support for travel costs is available for the INNOV portion of hands-on training.

**What is a Fermentation Technician'**

Fermentation technicians work as part of a team, supporting fermentation process development, optimization and scale-up,a nd producing the final products.. They support product development to create new products aimed at commercial markets in sustainable biomanufacturing. Additionally, Fermentation Technicians help to maintain the equipment and utilities to ensure high levels of safety and efficiency within their facilities.

Duties include:

- Production planning
- Fermenter operation
- Equipment maintenance, repair and cleaning
- Support production scale-up planning
- Troubleshooting and problem solving

**Who Should Take This Program'**

We appreciate applicants with a wide range of education and experience who are interested in a new career in fermentation. There are no minimum requirements for the program however some desired qualifications and aptitudes could include:

- College diploma or undergraduate degree in STEM fields, particularly bioprocessing, biochemistry or biology, as well as brewing, distilling or related fields.
- Transferable skills from other sectors such as brewing, laboratory technicians, power engineers or oil and gas.
- Experience working with equipment such as pumps, valves, steam systems etc.
- Experience in process operations such as food or pharmaceutical production.
- Laboratory experience.
- A history of being able to problem-solve and make improvements/optimizations.
- Great mechanical aptitude, able to provide support for maintenance in an industrial or related environment.
- Highly detailed and focused, enjoy working on a small team where responsibilities are shared and varied.
- Passionate about the environment and contributing to solutions for climate change.

**How to Apply**

If selected to enroll, there is a tuition fee of $500 to participate.