The National Council for Workforce Education (NCWE), a non-profit organization that promotes and supports education and training programs across the United States, awarded the Solano College Biotechnology program one of its top awards. Solano College received the Exemplary Program for a credit program award. Many people consider this the top workforce development award in the United States. The NCWE presented this award at their annual meeting in Minneapolis in October. Professor Jim DeKloe traveled to Minnesota to accept the award.
In presenting this award, the NCWE cited the Solano College biotech program’s complete education pathway, its partnerships with industry and other college and universities, its high placement rate, its work on economic development with local cities and the county, and its ability to serve as a model for other college programs.
The Solano College biotechnology program, with its high school and university partners, has built a complete educational pathway from high school through Ph.D with multiple entry and exit points. The program added two additional stacked and latticed certificates, a Bachelors degree, dual enrollment courses at local high schools, and (with university partners) guaranteed admission into graduate school. Students can exit at any step to enter the job market and they can reenter when family circumstances allow. The program is affordable: from beginning to end the maximum price of the Bachelors degree is $10,500. There is a near 100% placement at every level into the thriving biotechnology industry which offers a high-wage, high-potential-for-upward mobility career.
About the National Council for Workforce Education
The National Council for Workforce Education builds inclusive networks of workforce professionals that champion innovation, justice, and economic opportunity through policy and practice, preparing our communities for success in the global economy. The National Council for Workforce Education provides a national platform that equips practitioners and leaders to deliver equity-conscious and impactful workforce education programs. NCWE serves as the national leader providing resources and expertise to community colleges to enhance their efforts in preparing the current and future workforce in a global economy.