From Dugout to Discovery: Montgomery County Apprentice Finds a Second Act in Biotech

As graduation season fills auditoriums across Montgomery County, one recent graduate wants students to remember the power of apprenticeships as pathways that let you earn, learn, and launch a career at the same time.

A Second Chance Takes Shape

A 20-year-old from Montgomery County who once defined himself by baseball walked into a room at the U.S. Department of Labor this spring and showed what a second chance can look like. Wearing a black tuxedo and carrying his mother’s words ‘You were born for this’, Malachi Reid joined workforce leaders and policymakers at the 2026 National Apprenticeship Week ceremony in Washington, D.C., representing AstraZeneca and a growing movement to widen access to high-skilled careers.

When Baseball Was Gone

Reid’s path wasn’t supposed to lead here. A Division I baseball player whose identity was forged on early mornings and long road trips, he saw his plans collapse with a single injury. The aftermath was quiet and disorienting. “Baseball wasn’t just what I did,” he says. “It was who I was. When it was gone, I lost myself.” In rebuilding, he found unexpected direction: Biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Finding a New Path Through Apprenticeship

That pivot began when he discovered AstraZeneca’s Manufacturing Sciences Apprenticeship, a competitive program that blends full-time, paid work with a college degree. Few high schoolers ever hear about it; Reid hadn’t either. But he recognized a unique opportunity and took it. Today, he works at AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, as a Clinical Biologics Manufacturing Sciences Apprentice in the Gaithersburg R&D facility. Reid supports upstream and related processes for the development of biologic medicines. At the same time, he is earning an associate’s degree in biotechnology at Montgomery College.

AstraZeneca Expands Apprenticeship Pathways

AstraZeneca is expanding apprenticeships in laboratory and manufacturing roles across Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, and Texas. The company launched its first U.S. program in Newark, Delaware, in 2019 as a state registered mechanic upskilling initiative. In 2025, it added a Laboratory Sciences apprenticeship that fully funds an AAS in Biotechnology from Montgomery College; the first cohort started in May 2025 and was recognized at a U.S. Department of Labor signing event in April in Washington, D.C. AstraZeneca was also among the first employers to take the Governor’s Apprenticeship Pledge with the Maryland Workforce Development Board, advancing life sciences and building durable career pathways.

Building the Future Workforce

The company is making a concerted long-term effort to focus on people and highly skilled, well-paying jobs. Last summer, AstraZeneca announced a $50 billion investment in US manufacturing and R&D, which will create tens of thousands of new direct and indirect jobs across the country. In Maryland, the company is leveraging apprenticeships as part of its talent engine across R&D and Operations, creating entry points for early-career hires and upskilling pathways for existing employees. Recent additions include Automation & Controls and Next-Generation Operator tracks, with expansion planned across digital and data-driven domains, including AI, automation, and advanced manufacturing, to build future-focused capabilities, enhance workforce agility, and strengthen U.S. leadership.

Hands-On Work in Biologic Medicine

That commitment comes through in Reid’s day-to-day. As an apprentice, he is learning the full manufacturing process for biologic medicines. He supports cell growth operations for drug production and the processes that keep it running, including cell expansion, setup, and media and buffer preparation. He has also strengthened his grasp of AI-enabled tools to streamline workflows and improve efficiency, while building fluency in manufacturing best practices and quality standards that underpin AstraZeneca’s operations. The program gives him hands-on responsibility and allows him to translate concepts from his Organic Chemistry and Microbiology classes into practical decisions on the floor, exactly the blend of digital fluency and technical rigor the company is cultivating through its apprenticeship pathways.

Opening Doors for Other Students

Between shifts, he writes code; after long days, he sits for microbiology exams; on weekends, he gives back and speaks to students across Montgomery County, telling them the lab is for them, too. He is passionate about giving back and sharing his experience with his peers.

His motivation, he says, is rooted in faith and in a conviction that closed doors can become turning points. “I think about every kid in Montgomery County who has no idea this is possible,” Reid says. “If they don’t get the scholarship or the four-year offer, they think it’s over. It’s not over.”

Looking Ahead

Reid plans to transfer to Johns Hopkins and pursue a Master’s degree in Data Science. For now, he’s focused on building tools, and opening doors, for those coming behind him.

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