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Getting a boost

GCC, Phoenix Workforce Connection team to help students in biotech field

Glendale Community College is making it easier for minorities and others to pursue a career in the burgeoning biomedical and bioengineering fields.

For those who qualify, tuition, fees and textbooks will be paid for through a new partnership with the City of Phoenix Workforce Connection - a partnership the city is hoping to expand.

"The ability to attract and retain businesses vital to Arizona's economic security relies largely on the state's competitive workforce.  Having identified cancer therapeutics, neurological sciences, and bioengineering as Arizona's niche areas, the Phoenix Workforce Connection is
committed to developing a homegrown bioscience workforce," says Trevor Bui, business services representative with the city of Phoenix community and economic development department.

"Workforce development goes hand-in-hand with economic development," Bui says. "Since the bioscience industry is another emerging economic engine for Arizona, (the) city of Phoenix Workforce Connection is committed to building a world-class workforce, competitive in any economic climate."

Upon completion of the GCC program, students will earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Biotechnology and Molecular Biosciences. They may also opt to compete for placement in four-year degree programs. Statewide, $441 million has been authorized for immediate construction of essential university bioscience infrastructure. Currently, there are more than 1,000 medical and biotech related supported firms in Phoenix alone, according to the city's web site.

In coming years, it is estimated 32,000 personnel will be needed in Arizona's biotech industry.

TIME IS RIGHT

Dr. James Tuohy, Director of GCC's biotechnology program, says the timing for those entering this field of study is exceptional.

"Arizona has a vision of positioning itself as a major bioscience hub within the next decade and for this vision to be realized an appropriately skilled workforce is critical," he says.

"Our curriculum has been designed to redress this imbalance, putting a focus on the attainment of laboratory vocational skills," Touhy added. "The program specifically provides training in laboratory skills related to the research and development, drug discovery and testing, DNA forensics and bio-manufacturing areas of biotechnology."

(For those unsure of what biotechnology is, Dr. Tuohy offers a succinct definition:  "My favorite is that biotechnology is the use of cells or components of cells [DNA, protein etc.] to improve human health and the environment.")

Scott Schulz, manager for Career Services at GCC says the partnership program will enable students to get the necessary education without the attending financial hardships.

"One of the city's initiatives is to grow biotechnology here, which requires a highly skilled workforce. When our students graduate they may not be the ones to discover a cure, but they're the hands and the eyes and the ears of the people doing the lab work. They're essential."

Eligibility for the Biotech Career Pathways financial assistance is based on availability of funding and guidelines established by the Workforce Connection. For more information on this program, or careers in biotechnology and other emerging fields, contact Schulz at
scott.schulz@gcmail.maricopa.edu or (623) 845-3420.