Expanding the Cell Science and Immunological Testing Workforce by Developing a Diverse and Inclusive Credentialed Biotechnology Program

在新冠肺炎疫情期间，生命科学/生物技术行业继续保持弹性，洛杉矶地区2020年创造了608亿美元的经济活动，并拥有1,000多家生命科学创新公司。预计在未来三年内，这一快速增长的部门将增加16000个区域技术工作岗位。供需差距不断扩大的加速，以及人们日益认识到社区大学培养出有竞争力的高技能技术人员，强调有必要制定侧重于生命科学/生物技术技术人员教育的项目，为学生在这一充满活力的部门培养下一代高技能工人做好准备。因此，这个专注于细胞科学和免疫学测试的项目将从不同的和传统上未开发的人才库中招募和培训30名学生，包括受系统影响和涉及司法的学生，从而产生30个行业实习匹配并授予最多60个证书，这些证书是由两个可堆叠的证书组成的职业教育路径的一部分。该项目将根据咨询委员会的意见，使学术成果与行业需求保持一致。学生将在课程中接受培训，重点是基本知识、最先进的技术技能和行业所需的软技能。在这个项目中，圣莫尼卡学院(SMC)将：1)制作两个可堆叠的证书，使学生能够成功地进入大洛杉矶地区快速增长的生命科学/生物技术行业；2)扩大对传统上未开发的人才库和社区的学生的外联、招聘和留住努力；3)培养一支多样化和有才华的劳动力队伍，同时减少与生命科学/生物技术行业经常相关的培训、指导和就业平等差距。受益于该项目的学生将完成22个单元(5门课程)以获得他们的第一个可堆叠证书，并可以选择完成另外15个单元(4门课程)以获得第二个证书。无论他们的学业道路如何，所有参与的学生都将得到一位行业指定的导师，并完成实习。该项目的范围还旨在通过计划的外展活动，向40名参加特别咨询计划的SMC学生、150名大学前教育工作者以及4名全职SMC职业和学术顾问介绍生物技术行业。最后，流动生物技术探索日将为210名参与司法或来自低收入社区的大学预科学生提供实践活动、关于该项目的信息以及他们在生命科学/生物技术领域的就业机会。该项目产生的成果将通过地区和国家会议、NSF ATE中心平台和加州社区学院网络进行传播。该项目由高级技术教育计划资助，该计划专注于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The life sciences/biotechnology sector has continued to remain resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Los Angeles region generating $60.8 billion in economic activity in 2020 and hosting more than 1,000 life science innovation companies. It is projected that 16,000 regional technical jobs will be added to this rapidly growing sector within the next three years. The acceleration of the widening supply-and-demand gap, along with the growing awareness that community colleges produce competitive and highly skilled technicians, emphasizes the necessity to develop projects that focus on life sciences/biotechnology technician education to prepare students to become the next generation of highly skilled workers in this dynamic sector. Therefore, this project focusing on Cell Science and Immunological Testing will recruit and train 30 students from diverse and traditionally untapped pools of talent, including system impacted and justice involved students, resulting in 30 industry internship matches and award up to 60 certificates that are part of a career education pathway consisting of two stackable certificates. The project will align academic offerings with industry needs based on the input from an advisory council. Students will be trained in a curriculum that focuses on essential knowledge, state-of-the-art technical skills, and industry-required soft skills. Students will also receive an introduction to nanobiotechnology concepts and their applications in the cell science/gene therapy and immunological testing industries.In this project, Santa Monica College (SMC) will: 1) produce two stackable certificates that will enable students to successfully enter the rapidly growing life sciences/biotechnology industries in the greater Los Angeles region, 2) expand outreach, recruitment, and retention efforts to students from traditionally untapped pools of talent and communities, and 3) grow a diverse and talented workforce while reducing the training, mentorship, and employment equity gaps often associated with the life science/biotechnology industry. Students benefiting from this project will complete 22 units (5 courses) to earn their first stackable certificate and can opt to complete 15 additional units (4 courses) to obtain a second certificate. Regardless of their academic pathway, all participating students will receive an industry appointed mentor and complete an internship. The scope of this project also aims to inform 40 SMC students from special counseling programs, 150 pre-college educators, and four full-time SMC career and academic counselors about the biotechnology industry through planned outreach activities. Finally, mobile biotechnology exploration days will provide 210 pre-college students who are justice-involved or from low-income communities with hands-on activities, information about this project, and employment opportunities available to them in the life sciences/biotechnology sector. The results generated from this project will be disseminated through regional and national conferences, NSF ATE Center platforms, and the California Community College network. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.