MDC, UF Programs Aim to Train Workers
By Scott Andron, The Miami Herald
Jun. 9–As biotechnology initiatives spread across the state, Miami Dade College already has started training workers to fuel the industry’s hoped-for growth.
The college recently started to offer associate degrees and certificate programs in biotechnology, and the first students started classes in August. Administrators were expecting 60 students to enroll, but they got 150.
A new laboratory is now being completed at MDC’s downtown Wolfson campus.
Students who intend to pursue a bachelor’s degree can choose the associate in arts degree, while those looking to enter the workforce sooner can choose the associate in science. The college also is offering certificate programs aimed at people already working in the industry.
Area biotech companies helped the college prepare the curriculum, and the college’s science faculty received additional training to teach the courses.
Program director Dave Paul said local biotech companies asked MDC to start the program.
“They have been hiring college graduates and even high school graduates and providing on-the-job training,” Paul said. “We are providing options for students, so that local companies can hire local workers.”
And MDC is not alone in offering biotech training programs.
The University of Florida’s Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology was created to support the new industry in several ways, including by providing training.
The Gainesville-based center also manufactures small lots of drugs — typically 1,000 to 5,000 doses — for scientists conducting early-stage research studies.
The manufacturing is handled by a professional staff; the training programs are separate.
WORKFORCE GRANTS
The training programs include the Banner Center for Biotechnology, a project run through grants from the state Agency for Workforce Innovation and Workforce Florida.
In this program, the center is working with community colleges and biotech employers to develop and teach courses. The program offers a range of services from individual courses to certificates in specialized areas.
So far, Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Santa Fe Community College near Gainesville and Indian River Community College near Fort Pierce are offering the program. The center has been talking with officials at MDC, Palm Beach Community College and South Florida businesses about setting up a program here, said center director Richard Snyder.
The center doesn’t teach biochemistry, genetics or other basic sciences. Instead, it focuses on nuts and bolts, such as how to set up and maintain a clean room, quality control procedures and government regulations.
HARVARD INFLUENCE
The approach draws from the experience of Snyder, a microbiologist who has taught at Harvard and has worked for private biotech firms in San Francisco and North Carolina’s Research Triangle.
“I had to train people from scratch,” he said.
The center also has a National Science Foundation grant aimed at getting high school and community college students interested in biotechnology. The center is developing a high school biotech curriculum, in which students can major. The curriculum is now being used in Alachua and Marion counties, with five more districts to come on line next school year, Snyder said.
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