Made in Durham presents BULLS Biotech Academy plan; staff asked to create employment dashboard

Made in Durham updated the Durham County Board on its BULLS Academies plan on April 1, proposing to scale a Biopharma Manufacturing pathway aimed at historically excluded 18–25‑year‑olds.

Rasheed Bellamy, Made in Durham chief operations officer, said the collaborative focused on aligning education‑to‑career systems and piloting a Biopharma Manufacturing track because data suggested that industry credentials and employers would provide pathways to higher wages. "Our data was specific to our targeted audience," Bellamy said, and the collaborative can create dashboards to show how cohorts perform in employment outcomes.

Casey Steinbacher, executive director of Made in Durham, said 96% of cohort participants were people of color and that approximately 25 percent of students were employed after program completion. Steinbacher also said an alumni association has been created to keep graduates engaged.

The board directed staff to develop a dashboard that would track the number of students employed after graduation and their salaries. Presenters emphasized the program targets historically excluded young adults and seeks to scale best practices while addressing existing inequities in the education‑to‑career pipeline.