Career Classroom: High school biotechnology programs support New Jersey’s dominance in the health sciences

As the “Pharmacy of the World,” New Jersey has a rich life sciences community with pharmaceutical, research, medical device and other industries all based in the state. “They are here because of the skilled workforce,” said Chrissy Buteas, president and CEO of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey. “So our primary focus is supporting these skilled workers.”

Buteas addressed principals of New Jersey County’s 21 vocational-technical schools over the summer about current and future healthcare employment opportunities across the state and the need to continue offering programs that encourage and train students for such opportunities.

Buteas praised the vocational-technical schools for expanding program offerings in the health sciences to prepare students for a range of careers and next steps. She added that the expansion of biotechnology programs specifically addresses many of the in-demand skills in the health sciences. In fact, an analysis by the New Jersey Department of Labor over the summer found that biotechnology was among the top five skills required for health sciences job postings.

Given this demand, the timing was ideal for Passaic County Technical Institute’s John Currie Biotechnology Innovation Center to open in September. The state-of-the-art, 55,000-square-foot facility was made possible with funding from the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act and increases the career program’s capacity for hundreds of additional students in grades 9 through 12. Inside are highly specialized learning spaces, including the first DNA Learning Center in New Jersey .

The DNA Learning Center is equipped, licensed and operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and supported by InnovATEBIO, a global leader in biomedical research and education. Such exposure to industry allows students to gain practical experience in a rapidly developing sector of biotechnology. (See video here.)

Michael Petruccelli, director of the PCTI biotechnology program, said both Cold Spring Harbor and Passaic County Community College played a role in developing a curriculum to prepare students for a wide range of career opportunities, including laboratory technicians, researchers, biophysicists, geneticists and more. Depending on students’ ambitions, they may also earn an associate degree and industry-recognized credentials as part of their high school learning experience.

Buteas said industry-academic relationships are so important to workforce development that they have become the focus of a new life sciences industry partnership initiative led by the New Jersey Department of Labor. “It is important to create partnerships that help students identify the career paths available in the life sciences and support them in pursuing those paths,” she added.

While the Department of Labor is advancing this initiative on a statewide level, the county’s vocational and technical schools have long integrated industry partnerships into their educational models. Schools create special advisory boards for their career programs, whose members review the curriculum, serve as guest speakers, and even open their doors to student visits. Most schools also designate individuals or entire departments to place students in hands-on learning and positions using their industry contacts.

“Our School to Careers division makes us unique in that we have an entire group of employees dedicated to placing students in the industry before or after graduation,” Petruccelli said.

At Biotechnology High School (BTHS), part of the Monmouth County Vocational School District, Principal Sharon Bryant, Ed.D., said partnerships are critical to students’ completed learning experiences. “All seniors participate in a mentoring capstone experience prior to graduation, and our many partners support our students in applying their skills and knowledge in the workplace,” she added that the high school’s alumni and advisory board members, as well as area businesses such as Team Life , Inc. and Sunrise Senior Living, hospital systems and community EMT programs all work closely with BTHS to recruit mentors for students. (See video here.)

“The local experiences during mentoring also expose our students to the relevance and local contribution of nearby businesses and institutions to improving this area,” said Bryant. She and the BTHS teachers emphasized that their shared goal is to “immerse our students in community engagement and bonding in the field of biotechnology while promoting international skills and communication through the International Baccalaureate curricula to advance biotechnology.” from a global perspective.”

BTHS’ approach has delivered impressive results to the high school. U.S. News & World Report ranked it the fifth best high school in the state and the 37th best public high school in America.

BTHS instructors recently surveyed a small group of students about their motivation for participating in such a highly focused, demanding program. The students: Nicholas French, Alay Galvankar, Emily Gerchak, Annika Raj, Ella Stastney and Kaanchi Utpat said they believe the future in the field is wide open and that new avenues will open up that “do not yet exist or that we have do not exist”. In fact, I know we still need it.” They also said that working in biotechnology will allow them to “make an impact on many people, whether directly in science or in changing policy.”

This is exactly the feeling Buteas wants to convey to bright, ambitious young people who are thinking about a future in the health sciences. During a recent lecture at the Ministry of Labor, she addressed students and said: “This industry is truly special; Working in this industry gives you the opportunity to significantly improve or save someone’s life.”

Conversation Appetizers

Reach Passaic County Technical Institute at pcti.pctvs.org/pcti or call 973-790-6000.

Reach Biotechnology High School at bths.mcvsd.org or call 732-431-7208.

If you are an industry professional looking to support life sciences programs, including biotechnology programs, visit karrieretechnj.org/become-an-employer-partner.

This education and industry series is presented by the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools.