|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION
Florida is focused on growing its biosciences sector, and officials know that a dependable workforce is crucial for bioscience growth. National studies show that bioscience workers on average make $20,000 more per year than other private sector employees.
The creation of the Florida Consortium for Biotechnology Workforce Development is funded by a $1.25 million grant from Workforce Florida to develop training programs focused on producing skilled workers for the emerging bioscience industry.
The initiative encourages community colleges to produce bio-technicians with knowledge of laboratory technology, bio-manufacturing and regulatory affairs, among other areas. The program also links high schools to upper-division colleges for a smooth continuum of biotechnology workforce development.
Across Florida, universities and colleges already produce graduates with degrees in medicine, biomedical sciences, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, materials science and engineering, biological computing, biochemical and molecular science, pharmacy, ophthalmology, bioinformatics and medical technology.
FL-ATE, a NSF-ATE Regional Center of Manufacturing Education, creates a manufacturing educational delivery system offering the technical programs, curriculum development, best practice demonstrations, student involvement and outreach activities necessary to meet the workforce capacity and high performance skill needs of the manufacturing sectors within the region.
Several Tampa/Hillsborough County institutions offer specialty programs. For instance, the University of South Florida Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Program was the top-ranked specialty entrepreneurship program in the country, recognized in 2004 by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship from a field of 26 schools.
The University of South Florida (USF) has many other bioscience-related programs. The USF Health Science Center includes the College of Medicine, a successful teaching and research medical school, as well as colleges of public health and nursing. USF's school of physical therapy recently added new degree programs in bioengineering and bioinformatics. USF also has a specialized executive MBA program for physicians.
In the fall of 2004, USF unveiled a new course called Overview of Regulated Industries (Medical Device Emphasis) to train employees for jobs in the medical manufacturing industry. The course, offered on-campus and online, trains workers for medical manufacturing and is part of a cooperative venture between the USF Engineering School, the Florida Medical Manufacturing Consortium and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.
The University of Tampa (UT), a private institution near the city's downtown, added the Bachelor of Science in Chemistry (Biochemistry)/ MBA Joint Degree in 2004. This program allows students interested in biomedical, biotechnical, pharmaceutical and chemical careers to earn an undergraduate degree in biochemistry or chemistry and an MBA degree in five years. UT joins such schools as Pennsylvania State University and the University of North Carolina in offering such a degree.
Meanwhile, Hillsborough Community College is already among several Florida community colleges offering associate degree programs in biomedical engineering technology. HCC's program has been active since 1997.
Florida has a growing pool of workers in fields related to the biosciences: some 33,000 Florida companies employ more than 600,000 workers in biotechnology, medical device manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, and health care provision.
|
|
|
