ATE Project Talks: An Industry-Recognized Credential and Biotech Careers

Welcome to the first talk in the InnovATEBIO 2022 series of virtual ATE project talks.  Leaders in biotechnology workforce education from across the US will be sharing their work on exciting projects funded by the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program.  The ATE program supports the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy.

In these first two talks, we'll learn about an industry-validated credential for biotechnicians (BACE) offered through Biotility and a popular web resource (Biotech-Careers.org) for learning about biotechnology careers, jobs, and employers.

Each talk will be 20 minutes.  After the talks, there will be 15 minutes for questions and discussion.

Slack with project presenters:  You can also chat with the presenters afterwards via Slack.  Join the conversation from Friday through Sunday by joining the InnovATEBIO program Slack channel. Once you've joined, use the channel browser to find and join the #ate-project-talks channel. 

View the whole series of InnovATEBIO 2022 ATE project talks.

Talk 1:  Anchoring a Unified Bioscience Credentialing System

Description:  Our mission is to anchor a unified credentialing system within the industry by expanding state-level adoption of the Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE). This will provide a validated talent pool to benefit industry and provide job candidates a mechanism to showcase their mastery of competencies and skills in demand by industry. Our goals are to establish task forces, testing sites, and teacher training in California, Washington, Georgia, Texas, and Nebraska.

Speakers:  Tamara Mandell, Bridgette Kirkpatrick, and Philip Gibson

• Learn more about the Implementation of an Industry-Recognized Credentialing System for Biotechnicians ATE project
• Read about The Importance of Credentialing in Biotechnology

Talk 2:  Finding a path with Biotech-Careers

Description:  Biotechnology employers offer well-paying, interesting jobs, that provide their employees with opportunities to make meaningful contributions to others lives and well-being. We built the Biotech-Careers.org website to show the world that students from biotechnology education programs at community and technical colleges are being hired and making contributions to this important and thriving part of the bioeconomy. Biotech-Careers.org contains career descriptions based on industry job titles, information about different sectors of the biotech industry, stories about our alumni, and a database of over 9000 employers, with links to their career pages, 805 of whom have hired our graduates, and interactive maps. We recently added the ability to search for biotech jobs. Do a job search at Biotech-Careers.org and you can see the number of jobs in the US, your state, or your area on any given day. 

Speaker:  Sandra Porter, PhD

• Learn more about the Biotech Careers ATE project
• See how to teach with Biotech-Careers.org