CPaCE News

In response to the growing need for biomanufacturing technicians in Southern California, three CSU campuses—Long Beach​, Fullerton, and Los Angeles—formed a consortium with industry association BIOCOM California Institute to develop the new Biomanufacturing Technician (BMT) program. Launching in 2023, the program is designed to prepare a diverse range of STEM students for entry-level positions in the biomanufacturing, biotechnology, and biopharmaceutical industries.

The consortium plans to use funding from their HSI Community Grant to recruit and retain students from underserved communities for the BMT program, working with the Orange County Department of Education, Los Angeles County Office of Education and local high schools and community colleges to promote the program. The team will offer a free pathway program that provides a refresher on basic STEM principles, as well as a learning and information-sharing platform for students to get acquainted with essential skills. They can explore various career options and interact with career professionals to become more competitive in the biomanufacturing job market.

“We want students from historically underserved communities to know they can succeed in a program they may have felt is not for them," said CSU Fullerton Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Sagil James, Ph.D. “Our goal is to provide an adequate foundation in biomanufacturing-related basic scientific and engineering concepts so that these students do not face any difficulty while navigating through the BMT program."

BMT program participants will complete three 40-hour courses, one from each campus in the consortium. The classes will help them develop a theoretical and experiential knowledge of biomanufacturing including various state-of-the-art techniques and processes, instrumentation used in biomanufacturing industries, research and discovery, and process development.

James says the success of this project will depend on whether the team can “ensure biomanufacturing career readiness for a diverse student population and provide a highly skilled workforce for the biomanufacturing industry."

Click here to learn more about the Biomanufacturing Technician program at CSULB.