Employability Skills
Students who attend community college bioscience programs and complete certain minimum requirements are expected to have foundational skills that prepare them for the workplace. The following Employability Milestone guidelines were compiled by the Bioscience Workforce Development Hub.
Contact the program lead for more information.
ContactSkills Taught at California Community Colleges
Biotechnology
Biomanufacturing
Medical Laboratory Technician Training
Histotechnology Training
Chemical Technology
Food Safety
cfsqa- the Auditor standards include an advanced curriculum intended for people with food industry experience looking to advance their careers in the food industry.
Soft Skills
Leading Foundational Skills in Life Science Industry Job Postings Ranked by Increase in Use/Reference from 2019 to 2022.
Communication
Organizational Skills
Leadership
Multitasking
Problem-Solving
Teamwork
Detail-Oriented
Critical Thinking
Influencing Skills
Adaptability
Prioritization
Analytical Skills
Source: TEConomy Partners’ analysis of Lightcast JPA Database, 2023. 1 data set.
Beyond Technical & Production-Related Roles, A Strong Demand for Sales and Other Business Functions in the Life Sciences
In addition to the demand for technical STEM-related and production-related positions, the industry has significant demands for financial, sales, customer service, and other business functions—areas in which the CSBI and its partner organizations are less directly focused, but which often require a STEM background or promotion from STEM positions. The business of biotech and life sciences, and the maturation of the industry, has led to a high-volume, high-growth demand in these areas:
- Sales and Account Representatives made up the leading combined area of job postings in the last 4 years, with nearly 167,000 unique postings.
- Business and Financial Operations also make up a large segment of the workforce, reflected in job postings that totaled more than 50,000 from 2019 through 2022.
For more information see the TEConomy Partners 2023 Life Sciences Workforce Report
