Therefore, our students need to be exposed to these non-technical aspects of biological control so that they can effectively operate in their field. Both in classroom and associated laboratories there are components of training, but the main training of our students seems to be from research projects students have developed as graduates and undergraduates. For research projects, students have advisors who hopefully guide them, but the research projects are generally so focused to obtain the breadth the student may need later. We train many people for academic areas, although the jobs are getting scarcer. There are federal and state agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management which may be able to incorporate some of our students into biological control.
Industry is a growing area that is encompassing biological control.
Although biological control products constitute a small percentage of overall sales, industry predicts tremendous growth. Certainly, this is the result of a global environmental movement that seems to continue. What niche can smaller 'cottage' industries play in the development of biological control and how will they, as well as larger companies, be regulated, if at all, for the quality of their products. Working directly with growers as consultants implementing biological control might be one of the career opportunities that holds considerable promise, both on a national and international scale. The course entitled Plant Pathology includes some information on biological control along with much other necessary course material on disease identification and disease cycles.