Welcome!
Every year brings new young people, new partnerships, and new opportunities to strengthen the pathways that connect Durham residents to meaningful careers. This year, it also brought a clearer picture of what happens when those pathways begin to work as a system.
Made in Durham has always believed that lasting economic mobility takes more than a successful program. It takes educators, employers, community partners, and young people working together, with each playing a role in building pathways that become part of how Durham works.
During Fiscal Year 2025–26, we saw that work take another step forward. Partnerships deepened. Roles became clearer. More young adults earned credentials and moved toward careers. And the BULLS Life Sciences Academy continued to demonstrate what is possible when Durham builds pathways around the people they are intended to serve.
PROGRESS
Let’s go directly to our current numbers.
Four BULLS Life Sciences Academy cohorts demonstrated the model's strength and maturity this year.
Together, back-to-back cohorts achieved a 97% completion rate, and 73 graduates crossed the finish line this year alone.
MOMENTUM
Seven years in, the graduation curve looks like a program that has figured it out.
Every cohort since Cohort 9 has graduated at 90 percent or better. This year's three completions (Cohorts 11, 12, and 13, shown in gold below) kept that streak going, even as cohort size and student needs continue to vary class to class.
BULLS Graduation Rate by Cohort
(Gold: Completed in FY2025-2026)
Since 2020, 296 students have enrolled in BULLS and 234 have graduated, an 84% graduation rate across 13 completed cohorts.
MISSION-DRIVEN
Our Mission, Vision, and Purpose remain unchanged, reinforced by what we continue to learn about economic mobility and the role strong, connected systems can play in creating opportunity across Durham County.
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Made in Durham identifies and addresses gaps and barriers in Durham’s Education-to-Career system through new models of collaboration within our community.
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Made in Durham sees a future in Durham when multiple pathways to economic mobility exist for residents, a skilled talent pipeline exists for industry, and our whole community thrives.
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Made in Durham believes all Durham youth and young adults should have access and guidance to participate in the area’s economic prosperity.
EVIDENCE
“A 100% completion rate in the most recent cohorts, combined with verified employment at Biogen, Eli Lilly, Merck, and Novo Nordisk demonstrates that the model works when all components are in place.”
– Made in Durham Strategic Plan
EMPLOYMENT & ECONOMIC MOBILITY
Graduation is the beginning of the story, not the end.
Placement always trails graduation by a few months, which is exactly what this year's numbers show. Cohort 9 and Cohort 10, now more than a year removed from graduation, have the highest employment counts of any cohort on record. Cohort 13, which just finished in May, is still in the early weeks of its job search.
Part of why Cohort 13 finished as strong as it did: targeted support for housing, childcare, and transportation removed real barriers along the way. By graduation, every student in the cohort reported no ongoing financial concerns.
Alumni: Verified Employment by Cohort
(Gold: Cohorts completed in FY2025-2026. Employment climbs steadily after graduation. C13 is only weeks out and still early in its job search.)
88 GRADUATES.
$4.2M IN ANNUAL WAGES.
$3.3M REINVESTED IN DURHAM EVERY YEAR.
This is what workforce development looks like when the pathway holds.
EMPLOYER PARTNERS
Five anchor partners. A growing employer network.
Cumulative hires since the program began, by employer:
Beyond the five anchor partners, BULLS alumni are working across an expanding employer network that includes Actalent, Almac, Astellas, Baxter, Duke University Health System, Octapharma, PCI, Pfizer, Restor3d, Sagent Pharmaceuticals, SBM, and The Budd Group.
What’s next: The Preferred Employer Program
Starting with Cohort 15 this August, our five anchor employers (Biogen, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Carolina Components Group) are piloting a formal "pay it forward" partnership: deeper curriculum input, earlier access to graduating cohorts, and a direct hand in shaping the next generation of hires. First employer contributions are expected in 2027.
EXPERIENCE
“From my first meeting with BULLS Academy alumni, I was impressed by their drive and interest to be impactful in a role in the Life Sciences field. In the workplace, they've shown strong work ethic, leadership, and pride in being part of what we do at Carolina Components Group to support the Biopharma industry.”
– Adam Miller, General Manager, Single-use, Carolina Components
BUILDING THE ECOSYSTEM
A model that’s maturing, on purpose.
Made in Durham builds models with the intention that they won't always need Made in Durham to run them. This year, Made in Durham and Durham Technical Community College formalized a three-lane framework that spells out who leads what as the Academy grows.
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Led by Made in Durham, drawing on community relationships built over 14 cohorts.
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Led by Durham Tech, which is steadily taking on more of the academic delivery and support infrastructure.
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Led by Made in Durham, including wage verification, advancement support, and employer relationships.
The transition will take place over 18–24 months, with Cohort 14 serving as the first test of the new instructional handoff. The goal is straightforward: make the practices BULLS has proven successful part of Durham's permanent workforce infrastructure.
Why this matters to Durham.
Made in Durham was built to be a "knitting agent," an organization that identifies gaps, builds solutions, and then hands proven models to the institutions built to carry them forward. The Durham Tech transition puts that idea into practice.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
Looking ahead:
A second BULLS Academy. We're evaluating a second high-growth sector for a future BULLS-style pathway, using the same criteria that made the life sciences model work: strong wages, real growth, low barriers to entry, and committed employers.
The BULLS Playbook. We're turning what we've learned across 14 cohorts into the BULLS Playbook, a practical guide for our team, Durham Tech, and other communities interested in building something similar.
IN THEIR WORDS…
“What led me to the BULLS program was my interest in biotech and the opportunity to gain hands-on learning experience in the field... The program also provided a supportive environment where I could learn from instructors, mentors, and classmates who all wanted to see each other succeed. I'm dependable, quick to learn, and motivated to continue growing within a company.”
– Jysson Slade, Cohort 13 Graduate
“Partnering with Made in Durham has been an incredible opportunity for Novo Nordisk to connect with talented individuals in Durham — the City of Medicine. Through initiatives like the BULLS Academy, we've supported career readiness activities that strengthen local talent while engaging our employees in building the region's life sciences ecosystem. By investing in local talent, we are creating pathways that prepare individuals for success and foster a stronger future for both our company and our community — it's the Novo Nordisk Way: driving change for generations to come.”
– Pecolia Johnson Scott, Strategic Workforce, Novo Nordisk
AND WE HAVE FUN DOING IT!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Seven years in, the results point to what's working and where the model goes next.
PROGRAM MOMENTUM
Three cohorts completed this fiscal year (Cohorts 11, 12, and 13), bringing the program to 234 graduates and 296 students served since 2020.
EMPLOYER DEPTH
88 alumni are verified employed today, at 20-plus employers, anchored by five companies (Biogen, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Carolina Components Group) who are now formalizing that relationship through the new Preferred Employer Program.
ECOSYSTEM MATURITY
The three-lane framework with Durham Technical Community College moves BULLS from a MID-run program toward a shared model, embedding proven practices within the institutions positioned to carry them forward.
GRATITUDE
Our sponsors and partner organizations make it all possible.
None of this work happens alone. Made in Durham's sponsors and partners invest in the young people, relationships, and infrastructure that make these pathways possible. Their support helps us test what works, strengthen what works, and build the capacity for that work to continue across Durham. Thank you for being part of it.
SIGNING OFF—
Until next time!
Durham's young people and their path to economic mobility remain at the heart of our work. What started as a proof of concept in 2020 has become a model increasingly shared by Durham Tech, employers, and the broader community. That's what progress was always supposed to look like. Thank you for being part of it.
Send us an email: info@madeindurham.org