Biotech prep: pathway for work-ready biotechnicians

St. Charles Community College received a $988,731 Project Grant awarded June 1, 2025, through the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), administered by the Division of Undergraduate Education. The three-year award (through May 31, 2028) funds the development and implementation of a new Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Biotechnology designed to prepare work-ready biotechnicians for the St. Louis region's biosciences industry. The program addresses a documented regional need, with bioscience employers projecting 1,400 annual job openings between 2021 and 2031, the majority requiring high school credentials and short-term training or associate degrees.

The project delivers four core products and services: (1) development of an industry-aligned A.A.S. Biotechnology degree with stackable certificates; (2) curriculum and support services enabling students to earn industry-recognized certifications such as the Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE) and Bioscience Core Skills Institute (BCSI) credentials; (3) establishment of work-based experiential learning partnerships with regional bioscience employers to support student retention, degree completion, and workforce readiness; and (4) implementation of a comprehensive K-12 high school recruitment program to build the pipeline of prospective biotechnology students. No sub-awards are planned under this grant.

Abstract

A ST. Louis bioscience labor market analysis showed within the ST. Louis, missouri region, biosciences account for over 19,000 jobs at over 800 firms, roughly two-thirds of which are in research, testing and medical labs, and biomanufacturing. Bioscience employers in the region project 1400 job openings annually between 2021 and 2031, the majority of which require a high school diploma and short-term training or an associate's degree. As only one biotechnology program currently exists at a community college in the region, there is a clear need for additional programs that can supply the much-needed employees for the biosciences industry. ST. Charles community college proposes to establish a biotechnology program to educate skilled biotechnicians to meet the critical need for highly skilled, entry-level and mid-level biotechnician and biomanufacturing positions in the region. The project objectives are to (1) develop and implement a new associate of applied science (A.A.S.) degree in biotechnology with industry-aligned, stackable certificates; (2) prepare students to earn industry-recognized certifications and microcredentials, such as the biotechnician assistant credentialing exam (bace) or bioscience core skills institute (bcsi); (3) establish strong workforce connections in order to create a work-based experiential program that supports retention, degree and certificate completion, industry-recognized certifications, and workforce readiness; and (4) create and implement a robust k-12 high school recruitment program. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.