Groundbreaking Bioscience Skill Standards Created by National Community College Consortium with Funding from $15 Million U.S. DOL Grant

The Community College Consortium for Bioscience Credentials—or c³bc—consisted of 35 biotechnology educators from around the U.S. who engaged in a collaborative process to establish for the first time bioscience industry skill standards, credential programs, and break-through delivery methods to expand access to bioscience education and training opportunities for students, displaced workers and veterans.

c³bc's goal was to help the high-growth bioscience industry identify ways to unlock its ability to recruit, hire and build careers for entry-level technicians in a complex marketplace by focusing on the bioscience industry hubs of Medical Devices, Biomanufacturing and Biosciences Lab Skills as well as Learning Technologies.

In less than four years, c³bc has engaged more than 170 colleges, employers, bioscience industry groups and workforce organizations, has served more than 3,000 students, and has achieved several groundbreaking results, including:

• Creation of the first set of core bioscience skill standards that are being used nationwide by:
  • Educators to focus on curriculum design and teaching effort fundamentals to get students hired and promoted within the industry
  • Employers to help assess and evaluate their own training programs and the structure of student internship opportunities
  • Employees to help them understand the work functions and key activities they need to be successful in the workplace
• Development of the first set of industry skill standards in the medical device arena where industry representation was present throughout the development process
• Creation of new stackable and portable credential programs in the biosciences, as measured by the: 
  • Introduction of four new two-year associate programs
  • Creation of 19 new certificate programs
  • Expansion and creation of six new science laboratories
• Development of new cutting-edge processes, delivery methods and resources to help students more easily attain the credentials they need, including extended lab hours, new online and hybrid courses that reduce textbook expenses and scheduling barriers, and virtual tools that provide interactive instruction, assessments and links to additional resources
• Creation and storing of 370 program elements on the free and open online library at SkillsCommons.org .

"The c³bc was an idea in 2012 that became a reality with the US DOL TAACCCT funding," says Russ H. Read, c³bc project director and executive director, National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce, Forsyth Technical Community College. "Four years later, we can see how the fruits of our labor tie in very nicely for bioscience workforce education and training trends and needs expressed by educators, employers and workforce agencies."

According to Dr. Gary Green, president, Forsyth Technical Community College, the c³bc's success was due to the exceptional leadership of project director Read and all the hub leaders. "It's also important to thank the consortium member's college presidents for recognizing that the c³bc personnel could not do their jobs without their institutions' support and guidance."

"Technically skilled, multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary people can talk across different issues," says William Pratt, vice president, Operations & Director of Creative Design at Kinamed^©, a designer and manufacturer of implants and surgical instruments in Camarillo, CA. "They are the employees that really make our factories go."

The c³bc consisted of the following community college partners from across the U.S.:

About Forsyth Tech 
Forsyth Tech provides students with flexible educational pathways to a competitive workforce for the community and global economy. The college offers associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates in more than 200 programs of study, including programs that promote personal and professional development through non-credit courses and seminars, as well as customized training for business and industry. Forsyth Tech is the fifth largest community college in North Carolina and serves more than 35,000 students with approximately 1,500 full and part-time faculty and staff.                                                  

This workforce product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

MARTHA MURPHY
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR
THE REUBEN RINK CO.
W: 336.397.5407
C: 336.408.5015
or [email protected]

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SOURCE Forsyth Technical Community College

Related Links

http://www.forsythtech.edu