Improving the Biotechnology Internship Experience to Better Prepare Student Technicians for the Modern Workforce

该项目旨在通过改善生物技术学生教育，满足国家对高技能技术劳动力的需求。 佛罗里达的生物技术产业正在扩大，增长率是全国平均水平的两倍多。学院打算扩大其生物技术计划，以满足这一日益增长的需求。 具体而言，该项目计划通过更新和振兴目前的生物技术实习经验来改善生物技术教育。实习为学生提供重要的学习和工作经验，帮助他们发展基本的就业技能。该项目计划通过增加实习机会、改进生物技术课程以更好地满足行业合作伙伴的需求、利用在线互动资源增强实习体验以及开发生物技术网络以将学生与未来的雇主相匹配，来改善学生通过实习的学习。通过培养行业合作伙伴，整合技术技能和基本工作技能，以及社区建设，预计将增加生物技术实习的影响力，包括帮助学生成功过渡到生物技术职业。该项目旨在为生物技术雇主提供受过高等教育和熟练的技术人员，从而使新雇用的技术人员能够在工作中快速生产。该项目的目标是：（1）通过扩大现有实习伙伴的数量，扩大学生的生物技术实习机会;（2）通过开发包括基本劳动力技能在内的实习课程，扩大对学生的生物技术基本技能培训;（3）通过开发在线模块，提供实习信息和培养学生技能，增强学生的体验; 4）通过创建和举办为期一天的研讨会，召集高中生，生物技术本科生和行业合作伙伴，扩大生物技术社区。其他目标是通过与学生群体多样化的当地高中的外联和伙伴关系，增加生物技术产业的多样性。该项目开发的资源将通过NSF ATE网络共享。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NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national need for a highly skilled technical workforce by improving biotechnology student education. The biotechnology industry in Florida is expanding, with growth that is more than twice the national average. The College intends to expand its biotechnology program to meet this growing need. Specifically, the project plans to improve biotechnology education by updating and revitalizing the current biotechnology internship experience. Internships offer students critical learning and workforce experiences, helping them to develop essential employability skills. This project plans to improve students’ learning through internships by increasing the number of internship opportunities, improving the biotechnology curriculum to better align with the needs of industry partners, enhancing the internship experience with an online interactive resource, and developing a biotechnology network to match students with future employers. This combination of cultivating industry partners, integrating technical skills and essential workplace skills, and community building is expected to increase the impact of biotechnology internships, including helping student successfully transition into a biotechnology career.This project is designed to provide biotechnology employers with highly educated and skilled technicians, thus enabling newly hired technicians to be rapidly productive on the job. The objectives of the project are to: 1) expand biotechnology internship opportunities for students by expanding the number of current internship partners; 2) amplify biotechnology essential skills training for students by developing an internship curriculum that includes essential workforce skills; 3) enhance the student experience by developing online modules to deliver internship information and develop student skills; 4) expand the biotechnology community by creating and hosting a one-day symposium that convenes high school students, biotechnology undergraduates, and industry partners. Additional goals are to increase diversity in the biotechnology industry through outreach and partnership with the local area high schools that have diverse student populations. Resources developed by the project will be shared through the NSF ATE 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.