There are a lot of good education programs, particularly in biotech and medical technology, but they tend to be very specific in the training they provide. Michael Bereski, a senior laboratory technician in pharmaceutical quality control at Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. in Nutley, N.J., who participated in a standards project workshop, recalls what it was like when he started work in quality control 15 years ago. When I entered the field, I didn't have much of an idea of what to expect or what I should know. He has acquired all of his science training through workplace-based education. These guidelines could now let students who are interested in this field know what to expect.
Several programs designed to educate the work force of the future are already in place.
One example is an education consortium in Baltimore, which is coordinated among two area high schools, Baltimore City Community College, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland. This program starts early, linking high school students with industry mentors and setting up internships, reports geneticist Kathleen Norris, coordinator of biotechnology education at the community college. I was floating alone, making up my own course work. She anticipates incorporating some of the scenarios given in the report into the biotechnology techniques and instrumentation course she will teach this fall. Ronald Newcomb of Bayer Corp. recommends that students bolster their resumes by learning skills cited in the standards reports.