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MATC Wins $450,000 NSF Grant to Provide
Post-Baccalaureate Biotechnology Skills Certificate
Madison Area Technical College (MATC) has received
a grant for $450,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
to help support
the development of a new biotechnology certificate for individuals
who already have earned a bachelor of science degree in biology
or a related field. The certificate will focus on providing students
the practical, state-of-the-art skills necessary to begin careers
in the biotechnology industry. The college plans to begin enrolling
students in the semester-long certificate program in spring 2006.
To
date, MATC has received more than $3.5 million from the NSF for
educational projects in biotechnology, metrology, renewable
energy and information technologies. This is the fourth grant in
biotechnology to the college since 1994, resulting in more than
$2.4 million for the college’s efforts in biotechnology education.
Principal investigators for this grant are MATC biotechnology instructors
Dr. Lisa Seidman, Dr. Jeanette Mowery and Dr. Rebecca Josvai.
“This project serves the needs of students
and industry for a lab-focused intensive program for persons with
previous college work, such
as a B.S. in biology or related degree,” says Joy McMillan,
director of the Center for New and Converging Technologies, based
at MATC. “Working with our partners in the biotechnology
industry, we’ve identified a need for more training in practical
laboratory skills. This certificate will enable students to build
fundamental and connected skills in laboratory performance as well
as an understanding of working in a regulated environment including
report writing, documentation, equipment and instrument validation
and related skills."
According to the U.S. Department of
Labor, the biotechnology field has tripled in size in the last
ten years, and predictions indicate
a need for 713,000 more trained workers by 2007. Within the
manufacturing and production sector of this young industry are
a growing number
of job opportunities for trained technicians. While graduates
of two-year technical degree programs are well-prepared for work
in
this area, industry experts say many entry-level laboratory
positions are being filled by graduates of four-year biotechnology
programs
and those with advanced degrees. Many of these graduates learn
skills designed for continuing education toward advanced research
degrees and may not have received enough practical laboratory
skills training.
The MATC Intensive Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
Program (IPBC) will serve to fill the training gap for those with
four-year and
higher degrees who desire positions in biotechnology laboratories.
The college has offered a longer post-baccalaureate certificate
program that combines pertinent courses from the college’s
two-year associate degree Biotechnology Program, but the new, intensive
program will offer those students an opportunity to get those essential
skills in one semester using a curriculum that has been designed
specifically for them.
“The availability of a skilled workforce is essential for the continued
growth and success of our company,” says Dr. Paul Weiss, president of the
Gala Biotech business unit of Cardinal Health. “This new program is a way
to increase the number of well prepared individuals who are ready for the biotechnology
workplace.” Gala Biotech is located in Middleton and has hired MATC graduates
from related programs.
Dr. Jeanette Mowery, program director for the college’s
Biotechnology Laboratory Technician Program, says the new program will familiarize
students with the best
practices and requirements of the industry. “The new certificate is designed
to teach workforce skills, the basic bench lab skills needed on the job to fulfill
Federal Drug Administration guidelines.”
She also notes that plans for the
certificate include making the program curriculum available to a national audience
through Bio-Link, a national network of biotechnology
programs in which MATC already provides leadership to the Midwestern region.
MATC
is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System’s
16 colleges and serves approximately 50,000 individuals annually. It provides
a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult basic
education and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as customized employee
training. MATC provides training in more than 100 career programs. It awards
associate degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates, and offers non-degree
courses. The college serves all or parts of 12 counties located in south-central
Wisconsin and offers instruction through five campuses and various other locations
throughout the district.
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Last
Modified:
June 21, 2005
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