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It is a common misconception that professionals need a doctorate or other advanced degree to work in biotechnology and life sciences. But many career opportunities in the industry are available to people who have not attended a four-year college. Graduates of high schools and vocational schools often possess the skills and certifications needed to work in the life-sciences industry. And although college and postsecondary degrees remain important to some job seekers, many others can benefit from more accessible pathways that enable workers to thrive in the sector.

The Cost of College

College tuition costs can impose crippling financial burdens to students, particularly in the United States, which as a country has US$1.75 trillion in student loan debt, with an average of $30,000 owed per borrower (1). Society conditions us to aspire to a college education after high school, but few people examine the return on investment from earning a college degree. According to Inside Higher Ed, although there is a positive correlation between level of education and earned income, many exceptions arise at all levels of education (2). For example, 31% of workers with a high-school education outearn half of workers with an associate’s degree, and 28% of workers with an associate’s degree outearn half of those with a bachelor’s degree.

Some people can’t afford college or the burden of massive loans. Economist Byron Auguste served as deputy director of the US National Economic Council during the Obama Administration and is now the chief executive officer of Opportunity@Work. In his assessment of the American education system, he said, “They’ve turned college from a bridge to opportunity to a drawbridge that gets pulled up if someone hasn’t gotten through. If you arbitrarily say that a job needs to have a bachelor’s degree, you are screening out over 70% of African Americans. You’re screening out about 80% of Latino/Latina workers, and you’re screening out over 80% of rural Americans of all races.”

During high school or immediately after graduation, students can seek credentials that certify their workforce readiness and provide a viable alternative to college. By understanding the pathways that lead to career opportunities and requisite training, students can explore their options and achieve additional certifications — including degrees — that enable them to follow their passions. The experience, knowledge, and understanding gained by entering the job market after high school can help people understand their own career aspirations. Students should be afforded the space and resources to explore their passions in areas such as biotechnology.

Investing in Vocational Schools

Vocational, technical, and trade schools train strong cohorts by readying them to enter the workforce after graduation. Forty percent of skilled trade workers are over 45, and nearly half of those people are over 55. Conversely, only 9% of current trade workers are between the ages of 19 and 24 (3). As older workers retire, the biotechnology industry will lean on trade schools to support the next generation of skilled workers. With the current and anticipated demand, there is no better time than now to enter the job market.

Vocational students learn essential laboratory skills that can enable them to master techniques that a first- or second-year college student has yet to encounter. For example, organizations such as the Bioscience Core Skills Institute and the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory can collaborate with high schools to offer structured badges and certificates to students, recognizing their mastery of important vocational skills and enabling them to enter the biotechnology workforce after graduation.

Badging and Credentials Signify Experience

Although students can take several pathways when exploring credentials and badges, for the long-term viability of such programs it is important to support the teachers and administrators who spearhead new certification programs at their schools (4). At a recent meeting between my team at BioConnects New England and the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA), a number of administrators stressed the need to design certifications for students who are interested in pursuing careers in fields such as biomanufacturing. The two organizations teamed up to create field-appropriate credentials. The groups engaged with educators and school leaders to share those opportunities with students.

Our groups’ main goal is to create a verified and vetted credentialing system that will be recognized by the biopharmaceutical industry in Massachusetts. Doing so is important for supporting high school students who enter the life-sciences workforce after graduation. Such a system will build off of initiatives such as MassTalent, which is a government program that supports the growth and development of job seekers in Massachusetts. The system would be subject to the input of industry professionals from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. They would evaluate candidates’ experience and qualifications for a job based on the certificates they earn through specialized education.

Both job seekers and the organizations they go on to serve benefit from increased career pathways in biotechnology. By collaborating with life-sciences organizations that offer education and credentialing, we can serve as a hub for an array of life-science careers. The models we build today can inspire other industries in the United States to open more gateways to professional opportunities.

References

1 BCNE Career Pathways. BioConnects New England: Boston, MA, 2022; https://bioconnectsne.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/BCNE-Career-Pathways.pdf.

2 Keaveney C. Beneath the Student Loan Crisis, There’s an ROI Crisis. Inside Higher Ed: Washington, DC, 2022; https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/09/01/student-loan-crisis-reflects-underlying-roi-crisis-opinion.

3 Hahn A. 2024 Student Loan Debt Statistics: Average Student Loan Debt. Forbes, 18 April 2024; https://www.forbes.com/advisor/student-loans/average-student-loan-debt-statistics.

4 Skilled Trades Labor Scarcity: Workforce Aging As Fewer Recruits Enter Trades. PeopleReady: Tacoma, WA, 2022; https://www.peopleready.com/skilled-trades-labor-scarcity-workforce-aging-as-fewer-recruits-enter-trades.

Jared Auclair is colead of BioConnects New England as well as interim dean of the College of Professional Studies, vice provost of research and economic development, and director of the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab at Northeastern University in Boston, MA; [email protected].