Explore Bioscience Workforce Resources

Resources

Bioscience Announcements and Opportunities from the Community for the Community

Check for announcements and opportunities for faculty and students. Information updated periodically.

Communities of Practice (CoP)

Extended CA CC Biosciences CoP: Friday Virtual Faculty Meetings – We start with introductions that help networking, and then we launch into topics of interest featuring recognized presenters and volunteers from industry, faculty, and administrators. Meetings are usually followed by a Biotech Happy Hour at 4 pm to discuss biotech or non-biotech topics alike, unwind, and chat. Weekly meetings on Fridays, 11 am to 12 pm. Register to join.

A summary of presentations from the 2023-24 Year of Friday Meetings in Review can be found here.

Accessible & Equitable Learning for Bioscience Careers – An online community of practice in partnership with InnovATEBIO, geared to finding solutions for inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible bioscience education and training, and create pathways to industry internships, apprenticeships, and employment. Monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of the month, 9-10 AM PST. Register to join.
BioSCOPE – A virtual community of practice that gathers partner biotech programs implementing the biomanufacturing supply chain operations model BioSCOPE (Bioscience Supply Chain/Operations Projects for Education) – by invitation. For information about joining, Contact Us.

Events

Biocom California – Life Science Association of California Biocom. View events and networking.
California Life Sciences – View events here.
InnovATEBIO – The National Biotechnology Education Center sponsored by NSF ATE. View current and upcoming events.
NIIMBL (National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals) – Events such as conferences and meetings and the NIIMBL eXperience, an immersion program for students.
Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCal Bio)– View events.

Faculty Training

CAST Intro to Accessibility – 90-minute Online Workshop. This workshop enables faculty to incorporate digital learning resources into all their courses that will increase accessibility of learning that benefits a broader and more diverse array of learners. September 25, 2024, 12-1:30 pm PST. Register to access the recording.
BioSCOPE 101 Handbook 90-minute Online Training. Many of you participated in industry/faculty meetings for the Supply Chain Guidelines project, which resulted in The BioSCOPE 101 Handbook on Canvas that includes SOPs, batch records, and more to help you implement BioSCOPE projects (Bioscience Supply Chain Operations Projects for Education) with your students. Learn how to access and navigate the online BioSCOPE 101 Handbook on Canvas to guide you through implementation of projects such as production of plates, reagents, and buffers for lab kits. Thursday, October 3, 2024, 3-4:30 pm. Register to access the recording.
CAST Intro to Universal Design Training (UDL) for Biotech – 90-minute Online Workshop. This workshop provides valuable information and hands-on training on how to modify SOPs and batch records to accommodate diverse learning styles. October 16, 2024, 12-1:30 pm PST. Register to access the recording.

Organizations

Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) – National/regional events and conferences
Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC) – Provides teachers with the support, resources and networking opportunities they need to educate students in the biosciences and prepare the next generation of scientists
Bay Area Council – working with public and community leaders to keep the Bay Area the most innovative, globally competitive, inclusive, and sustainable region in the world
BEAM Circular is a hub for the circular bioeconomy in California’s agricultural heartland that is advancing economic opportunity and environmental solutions. Early career exposure and programs to support diversity in STEM projects.
Biocom California Life Science Association of California
Biocom California Institute – Develops and promotes a skilled and diverse pipeline of talent to accelerate the growth of California’s life science ecosystem
BioMADE – supporting the development of industrial biomanufacturing technologies.
BioscienceLA – Life Sciences innovation catalyst in Los Angeles
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) – the world’s largest advocacy association representing member companies, state biotechnology groups, academic and research institutions, and related organizations across the United States and in 30+ countries
California Life Sciences – Life Sciences membership organization
CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that created the Universal Design for Learning framework and UDL Guidelines, now used all over the world to make learning more inclusive.
InnovATEBIO – National Biotechnology Education Center, working to advance technical education for the biotechnology workforce.
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) – represents and provides services and supports life sciences in Massachusetts.
Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC) – building a stronger Micro Nano Technology workforce.
National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceutical (NIIMBL) – NIIMBL works to enhance innovative manufacturing capabilities and develop a world-leading manufacturing workforce for the biopharmaceutical industry.
North Carolina Life Sciences Organization (NCLifeSci, formerly NCBio) – delivers policy and advocacy leadership, future-focused workforce development programs, industry connections, and mission-driven member services
Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio) – trade association that serves the biotech, med tech, IVD and digital health communities in the six counties that comprise the Greater Los Angeles region (Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernardino)

Professional Organizations

California Community College Association for Occupational Education (CCCAOE)
Parenteral Drug Association – international non-profit industry trade group for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturers
Pharmaceutical and Bioscience Society (PBSS) – Events, workshops, symposia, and chapters in San Francisco and San Diego
Women in Bio (WIB) – a national organization with local chapters, events, mentoring, and career center including career exploration workshops for students in the middle and high school grades or early college

Publications

2022 White House Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy
2023 NIIMBL Innovation of the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Talent Pipeline, Part II
2023 White House Report Building the Workforce of the Future
2025 White House Executive Order on Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future Purpose is to maximize investments in deindustrialization and economic growth in America.
Bachelor’s of Science in Biomanufacturing Degree- May 2022
Bosses are firing Gen Z grads just months after hiring them – here’s what they say needs to change. https://fortune.com/article/why-are-companies-firing-gen-z-employees-workplace-bosses-workers-jobs/ Fortune. January 28, 2025
California Department of Education. College-Going Rate for HS Completers (12 month). College-Going Rate (CGR) for California high school completers 12 months after high school completion reported by race/ethnicity, student group, and academic year. Detailed description in Data Quest
CCC Life Sciences/Biotechnology Program Overview- September 2022
EdData Education Data Partnership. Find a wealth of data and comparisons for your school, district, county and the state as a whole on Ed-Data. Newly posted, 2023-24 data include cohort graduation rates and how many graduates completed the course requirements for admission to UC/CSU. Learn more.
EdSource is California’s largest independent newsroom focused on Education.
EdSource, What to Know About Bachelor’s Degrees at California Community Colleges – Quick Guide, July 27, 2023
Employers Guide to Hosting Life Science Interns – issued by LA Bioscience Hub, Pasadena Bio, Biocom, and the Life Sciences/Biotechnology Initiative
Golden Opportunities Study by Michael Itzkowitz. The HEA Group, May 2024
Hootsuite. Social Media Trends 2025 white paper
Inside Higher Education. Four Year Colleges Ride the Dual Enrollment Wave by Liam Knox. December 2, 2024. More four-year institutions are offering courses for high school students, dipping their toes into what has long been community colleges’ domain. But can they get those students to enroll after graduating?
JATE’s article describing flow cytometry assays to look at T cell activation and packaging of vectors in AAV
Join the Biotech Revolution by Start Engineering. More information at: Biotechnology Career Guide. See review copy.
Maggie Bryan’s recent publication on NIST CHO cells and a second publication.
National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) – Your primary source for information on U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions. Provides basic data needed to describe — and analyze trends in — postsecondary education in the United States, in terms of the numbers of students enrolled, staff employed, dollars expended, and degrees earned.
NIH, National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology, article by Gary M. Green, Russ Read and others, 2021 Recommendations for Workforce Development in Regenerative Medicine Biomanufacturing
NIIMBL – Skills Standards and Curriculum for Cell and Gene Therapy Technicians
Report: Education Recovery Scorecard:
https://educationrecoveryscorecard.org/?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20250211&instance_id=147224&nl=the-morning&regi_id=188602429&segment_id=190695&user_id=1fc8c6446be64acf4bc5fc9df919a27c The Education Opportunity Project at Stanford University. February, 2025
Report: Bioeconomy’s potential is huge, and requires regulatory framework updates to unleash it. Bio, Kearny. March 24, 2025
The bioeconomy—biotech in food, agriculture, and manufacturing—could grow to contribute $416 billion to the U.S. economy by 2030 if we realize its full potential, says a report released today (Summary).
The situation: The bioeconomy has a direct impact of $210 billion on the U.S. economy and a broader indirect impact of $830 billion, and supports roughly 430,000 jobs, says the report, conducted by Kearny for BIO.
Why it matters: If we don’t take full advantage of the bioeconomy, we risk losing out on tens of billions in growth in the U.S. economy over the next five years, and even more in the longer term.
See complete report here: https://www.bio.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/Bioeconomy%20Impact%20Modeling%20Final%20Report_March%202025_1.pdf?mkt_tok=NDkwLUVIWi05OTkAAAGZZ3EvbCIPrN329GGOX7C7Uo8b1u2-7Mk-TaV83W8JzVgAWyJBPXYFinFpfSDw-7YYUrwiIJzv2lgu1-gspcKEhmRyLlNykGFQGJRQEc4OCVMP2A
Report: Do Employers Earn Positive Returns to Investments in Apprenticeship? DOL. August 2022
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/publications/ETAOP2022-36_AAI_ROI_Final_Report_508_9-2022.pdf
The Job. Education Pipeline by Paul Fain. December 12, 2024. Fewer high school grads and a widening workplace skills gap pose big challenges for the U.S.
The US Bioeconomy: Charting a Course for a Resilient and Competitive Future- A Bioeconomy Strategy- April 2022

Videos, Podcasts, and Other Media

Biotech TV: https://www.biotechtv.com/all-videos

Biotech TV Students channel: https://www.biotechtv.com/biotechtv-u – BiotechTV U is a channel of BiotechTV for students and anyone who wants to learn more about biotech. Here university students will submit content highlighting their lives as future leaders in science that showcases the research they are doing on campuses across the country and around the world. It will also include videos with career advice and tips on how the business of biotech works.

Film: “I am a college student with a disability. Stop treating me like a Child”

Video: Ken Burns – PBS The Gene – An Intimate Story

Podcast: Biotech Beat by Alumni and Industry Engagement Project. The Biotech Beat Podcast is a podcast about technicians and education in the biotech industry. Each Biotech Beat is an interview with a community college alum in the biotechnology industry.

Conversation: A Conversation with Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis: Hassabis is a 2024 Chemistry Nobel laureate. He talks about proteins, AI, drug design.

Video: Moderna introduces scientist social series: Moderna is inviting LinkedIn and Instagram scrollers to take a break with its scientists in a Coffee Break Science series. The short videos lead off with infectious disease immunologist Carole Henry explaining how viruses work. The ongoing series will tackle a range of virus, vaccine and immunology topics. Episode 1: What are Viruses. Find more episodes on YouTube.

Podcast: The Business of Biotech Podcasts by BioProcess Online tackle organizational, funding, HR, regulatory, production, and CMC considerations with insight from peer founders who have taken biologic therapies from an idea to clinical success.

Podcast: Biotech: Impacting Tomorrow, Today

Web Educational Resources

Amgen Biotechnology Experience (ABE) – Empowering teachers to bring biotechnology to their classrooms
Bay Area Bioscience Education Community (BABEC) – Teachers resources
BioBuilder – New & creative life science curriculum
Biomanufacturing Key Activities (NBC2, 2013) – Skills standards
Bio-Rad Explorer Program – Events and Training
Bioscience Skill Standards – Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials (c3bc)
Biotech Careers – Provide information about entry-level careers in the biotech industry and pathways for advancement
Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials (c3bc) – Capturing Best Practices on Bioscience Training Programs (2016)
DataVista is the metrics platform for information on California Community Colleges and Adult Education student success. DataVista is designed to inspire a greater understanding of student achievement, build understanding about student outcomes and provide information to support evidence-based decision making at schools, colleges and within the state.
EdSource – A nonprofit newsroom devoted to covering equity in education with in-depth analysis and data-driven journalism.
Center for the Study of Community Colleges
InnovATEBIO National NSF Biotechnology Education Center
LabXchange – the world’s science classroom
LibreTexts Biology – Biotechnology (includes OCBC lab manual: Introduction to Biotechnology)
Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)
Medical Device Skill Standards – Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials (c3bc)
National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) The Sample Behaviors that Provide Evidence of Career Readiness
Skill Standards and Curriculum for Cell and Gene Therapy Technicians (NIIMBL,2022)
STEM Learning Ecosystems – Global Community of Practice with extensive sharing of resources and expertise among leaders from education, business and industry, non-profits, philanthropy, and others.

Ready to get started?

Find A Program Near You