City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
- Shares curriculum and instructional materials.
- Provides faculty with professional development.
- Hosts a National Summer Fellows Forum.
- Distributes donated equipment.
- Prepares students for technical careers in biotechnology and life sciences.
Bio-Link Supports Student Success
Each year approximately 300 educators participate in Bio-Link professional development programs. Those educators then teach about 29,000 students the new skills they learned from Bio-Link. This focus on biotechnology skills helps students gain entry to high-skill, high-wage careers. The stories that community and technical college graduates share at the Faces of Success Panel during the annual BIO International Conference indicate that the entry-level technician jobs lead to rewarding careers with opportunities for advancement.
Bio-Link Scales Up Bridge to Biotech
Bio-Link is working with several colleges to scale up the Bridge to Biotech (B2B) program it started at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) to increase access to biotech careers. B2B integrates biotech laboratory skills into developmental math, science, and language classes. The contextualized curricula and peer support have led to high completion rates among students who are predominantly low-income and from underrepresented populations. There are on average 30 to 40 students per semester who are enrolled in the B2B at CCSF. A significant majority of those who complete the program enroll in college courses that lead to certificates and degrees.
Biotech Companies Increasingly Hire Technicians
Biotechnology companies increasingly recognize the quality of community and technical college students who have specialized in biotechnology. This is significant in an industry where workplace expectations are high because a single mistake can damage many products and the finances of the company. Biotech start-ups, in particular, rely on community and technical colleges’ flexible programs to meet their emerging needs. Frequently, when biotech companies hire individuals with credentials from community and technical college programs, it sets off a ripple effect that leads incumbent technicians to enroll in these programs to learn the additional skills they need for promotions.
Bio-Link Internships Enhance Career Pathways
As more companies partner with Bio-Link-affiliated community and technical college programs, they are also learning the value of internships that provide students with actual industry experience. Companies also appreciate the opportunity to have potential employees working in a learning mode at their sites.
B2B’s internship program is an example. It places economically disadvantaged individuals who are enrolled in biotech-focused developmental courses in internships. Of the 50 City College of San Francisco students who completed B2B internships between fall 2007 and summer 2010, 40% were hired immediately by the research laboratories where they interned. Most of the other B2B students transitioned from the vocational program into biotech certificate programs before pursuing employment.
