Los Angeles Mission College (LAMC) will prepare community college and high school students for jobs in biotechnology. The new programs developed will explicitly address skill development and offer students counseling, tutoring, industry field trips, external speakers, and internship opportunities. Combined with excellent instruction in the classroom, these activities will prepare students for entry-level, middle-skill technician positions. LAMC serves a large underrepresented student body and will provide these students with employment opportunities in a high growth sector that needs a skilled workforce. Project evaluation will focus on measuring student progression, success, retention, and degree attainment.
LAMC will develop new academic pathways and curricula in biotechnology leading to stackable certificates and an Associate of Science degree. Stackable credentials will prepare students to enter the workforce in a short period of time while retaining the opportunity to pursue higher degrees at a later date. It will also allow for flexibility that will contribute to student retention and success. The project will provide high school students an opportunity to earn college credit and credentials that will ultimately assist them in obtaining employment.
The National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program has been funding innovation at two-year colleges for over twenty years. With a focus on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy, and strong partnerships between academic institutions and industry, ATE promotes improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels.
To learn more about ATE, please visit the NSF ATE program home page.
