Centennial College Biotechnology graduate Deepti Jaswal logged into LinkedIn and immediately noticed a job post. One of her former professors had uploaded the post on behalf of an employer in her network almost in real time. Deepti immediately decided to apply. Because the post specified a cover letter and resume, she turned to Centennial’s Career Services to polish the necessary documents. An interview with the employer followed and so did a job offer. But more than a successful college-to-career transition story, Deepti’s experience illustrates Centennial’s commitment to 360-degree student support — even after graduation.
“Yvonne Henry was my teacher in my first semester and she had industry-based experience so while we were in labs, she would also explain how the industry worked,” says Deepti. “She also taught a career prep course, and was the one who made us all create LinkedIn accounts and told us how important it was to network. Many of my experiences at Centennial revolved around her. After you graduate, some profs aren’t as willing to keep in touch but she makes sure we keep networking and that shows what kind of prof she is.”
In addition to committed professors and instructors, Centennial’s Biotechnology program offers students the skill set for work as laboratory technicians in quality control and quality assurance. Because it covers a wide range of topics, students aren’t limited to one sector. Instead, they have the know-how to apply for jobs in industries as varied as food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics.
This is part of the reason Deepti was able to successfully apply to a quality assurance technician position at North America's second largest sushi brand, Bento Sushi. The company provides packaged sushi and ready to heat/made to order hot Asian food.
“Even though I took Biotechnology, it included study of food science,” says Deepti, who graduated last April and was hired in August. “We actually got to explore all the fields of science. If the program didn’t include all these topics, it would have been difficult for me to deal with responsibilities such as microbial testing, which is part of my job.”
The diverse topics included in the Biotechnology program’s two years of study are supported by hands-on training. For Deepti, who had previously acquired a Bachelor of Science in her native India, this component of the program was particularly useful.
“Canada is all about experience and coming from India, I got a lot of theory but not much experience,” she says, “Being in Centennial’s labs helped me a lot. Even during COVID lockdowns, when we were in labs in smaller groups and the teachers were there more often because they had to come in more to keep an eye on students, they were still dedicated to helping us feel prepared.”
Deepti, who hopes to acquire more work quality assurance experience in her current position before applying for a master’s degree program, was recently virtually reunited with her professor, Yvonne. During a virtual tour that Bento Sushi hosted for Centennial College Food Science students, Deepti conducted a Q&A session.
“They had so many questions, and I was happy to be able to answer their questions in a realistic way because now I have the work experience,” she says. “I hope it helps to lead them in the right way in their career.”
Written By: Izabela Shubair