Carcieri calls for more biotech workers
12:33 PM Thu, Mar 26, 2009 | Permalink
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Governor Carcieri Thursday called for training more biotechnology workers in Rhode Island, saying the state faces intense competition for high-tech companies. "There's a huge competition going on right now, not just in this country but internationally, for this industry," Carcieri told a group biotechnology executives at the Providence Marriott. "You've got to sharpen up your game." The speech was sponsored by the Tech Collective and the New England Biotech Association, an industry group founded last November. About 38,585 Rhode Islanders work for health care and biotechnology companies, according to a 2007 report by the state Economic Development Corporation. Lifespan is the state's second-biggest employer. "It's a big chunk of our economy," Carcieri said. "There's a lot of good things happening." But despite a 10.5 percent unemployment rate, many of the state's growing biotechnology firms say they struggle to attract qualified employees. "Workforce is critical for us for growth and sustainability," Kimball Hall, general manager of Rhode Island operations for Amgen, told The Providence Journal. 
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