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

生命科学/生物技术行业在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间继续保持弹性，洛杉矶地区在2020年创造了608亿美元的经济活动，拥有1000多家生命科学创新公司。预计在未来三年内，这一快速增长的行业将增加1.6万个区域技术工作岗位。供需差距的加速扩大，以及人们越来越意识到社区大学培养有竞争力和高技能的技术人员，强调了开发生命科学/生物技术技术教育项目的必要性，以培养学生成为这个充满活力的部门的下一代高技能工人。因此，这个专注于细胞科学和免疫测试的项目将从不同的和传统上未开发的人才中招募和培训30名学生，包括受系统影响和司法相关的学生，从而产生30个行业实习匹配，并颁发多达60个证书，这些证书是由两个可堆叠证书组成的职业教育途径的一部分。该项目将根据咨询委员会的意见，将学术课程与行业需求结合起来。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。学生还将获得纳米生物技术概念及其在细胞科学/基因治疗和免疫测试行业中的应用的介绍。在这个项目中，圣莫尼卡学院（SMC）将：1)提供两个可组合的证书，使学生能够成功进入大洛杉矶地区快速发展的生命科学/生物技术行业；2)扩大对传统上尚未开发的人才和社区的学生的推广、招聘和留住努力；3)在减少生命科学/生物技术行业通常相关的培训、指导和就业公平差距的同时，培养多样化和有才华的劳动力。从这个项目中受益的学生将完成22个单元（5门课程）来获得他们的第一个可堆叠证书，并可以选择完成15个额外的单元（4门课程）来获得第二个证书。无论他们的学术途径如何，所有参与的学生都将获得一位行业指定的导师，并完成实习。该项目还旨在通过计划的外展活动，向40名来自SMC特殊咨询项目的学生、150名大学预科教育者和4名全职SMC职业和学术顾问介绍生物技术产业。最后，移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、项目信息以及生命科学/生物技术领域的就业机会。该项目产生的结果将通过区域和国家会议、NSF ATE中心平台和加州社区学院网络进行传播。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.