|
National
Bioscience Industry Skill Standards
The
National Bioscience Industry Skill Standards were developed
to provide common benchmarks for educating and training people
to meet industry requirements for beginning technical careers
in the bioscience industry workforce. Gateway
to the Future: Skill Standards for the Bioscience Industry
contains a complete set of skill standards for a range of
beginning level technical occupations in pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies, as well as university and government
research and clinical laboratories. The occupations are in
manufacturing, research and development, and clinical diagnostics.
The standards were developed and validated by technicians,
supervisors, and managers from over 100 bioscience industry
workplaces. The book also contains information about the specific
skills, knowledge, and attributes required for work in the
bioscience industry; assessment and certification measures;
and guidelines for using the standards in programs to train
people to work in the bioscience industry.
Why
Are Skill Standards Needed for the Bioscience Industry?
The
bioscience industry is undergoing one of the most exciting
scientific revolutions of our time. During the past three
decades, tremendous changes have occurred in the biological
sciences regarding the understanding of biological processes,
techniques available to manipulate these processes, and the
potential impacts of these techniques on individuals and the
world. As the pace of movement from basic research to testing
to development of products and techniques rapidly accelerates,
the industry is requiring increasing numbers of trained, skilled
technical employees at all levels. It is estimated that hundreds
of thousands of technicians - beginning level skilled workers
- are needed now and during the coming decade.
Numerous
community and 2-year technical colleges, as well as high schools
and some 4-year colleges have developed programs to educate
and train bioscience technicians. Because no national, industry-based
standards existed for what these technicians needed to know
and be able to do, each program developed on its own, using
the information they could obtain locally. With the development
and validation of the National Bioscience Industry Skill Standards
by the bioscience industry across the country, education and
training program planners now have common, nationally recognized
benchmarks for creating programs, curriculum, and assessments.
The
standards, and the programs created with them as a base, are
enabling a large and growing number of people to prepare for
skilled, well-paid occupations and careers in a national industry
with high growth potential. These occupations will not require
four years of college, but solid training, particularly in
science and math, in high school and one to two years of college.
The
National Bioscience Industry Skill Standards are therefore
intended to serve several needs at once: a) the need of the
industry for a highly trained, skilled workforce; b) the need
for many thousands of people to be prepared for high-skilled,
well-paid occupations and careers in a high-growth industry;
c) the need for communities and the country to build their
economies by supporting a growing industry and its workforce;
and d) the need to support an industry that holds promise
for revolutionizing medical care, agricultural production,
and other applications that could greatly improve the quality
of individual lives and society.
return
to Standards page
|
