NR No. 25-07
Contact: Loree Levy/Greg Lawson
916-654-9029
mediainquiries@edd.ca.gov
What you need to know: California’s Life Sciences industry employs 466,888 workers and generates over $414 billion in annual economic output – about 20% of that in the LA Basin alone. With more bioscience and biotechnology patents issued to California companies than any other state, California makes strategic investments to develop the future’s workforce.
SACRAMENTO — The Employment Development Department (EDD) awarded $850,000 to the Verdugo Workforce Development Board. These funds support the groundbreaking BioPharma Grant Project, a strategic initiative designed to create a centralized pool of qualified biotechnology technicians to meet the hiring needs of California’s Life Sciences industry.
The grant will be used for Phase 3 of the project aimed at guiding competency training and evaluation to help local LA basin employers hire up to 5,000 employees per month over the next five years, based on growth projections. Businesses are currently interviewing up to 1,000 candidates per month. Upon completing their technical training and receiving their digital credential, 85% of the program’s students are being immediately hired.
“This unique public and private-sector partnership ensures workforce stability in California’s Life Sciences industry,” said EDD Director Nancy Farias. “Together, we’re preparing students and jobs seekers for high-growth careers as Life Sciences technicians.”
As part of the BioPharma Grant Project, Grifols Biologicals led a business-focused effort to develop a critical assessment tool in collaboration with the Biocom California Institute, Prolacta, and Gilead, along with several leading bioscience companies, including Amgen, Kite, and Takeda. The effort was supported by the Los Angeles Mission Community College and the Verdugo Workforce Development Board. Then, in partnership then with Glendale, and Citrus Community Colleges as well, curriculum was designed to align with the assessment tool and the competency needs of employers.
“The Verdugo Workforce Development Board continues to be dedicated to serving job seekers and businesses,” said the Board’s Executive Director Judith Velasco. “This ensures that we meet the human capital needs of the industry and are providing job seekers with the opportunity to access entry-level positions in a high-growth industry.”
The Verdugo Jobs Center provides a critical job matching service connecting credentialed students with a pool of employers for interviewing and hiring. A career portal called CareerHub was also designed and developed to assist employers in easily identifying resumes featuring the competency certification and filling their job openings.
The latest funding is for Phase 3 of the BioPharma Grant Project which is a multi-phase partnership focused on developing a qualified workforce for California’s Life Sciences industry:
- Phase 1 — Developed assessment tools to verify that individuals have the skills and abilities for roles as biomanufacturing and laboratory technicians.
- Phase 2 — Expanded credentialing efforts to qualify professionals for high-growth bioscience jobs. Eighty-five percent of students passed and were placed in bioscience jobs. These new hires earned starting wages up to $22 per hour and increased to an average of $30 per hour within three months.
- Phase 3 — Continues implementing the Biocom Institute Technician Certification (BioTC) to ensure a steady supply of skilled candidates to meet the needs of the Life Sciences industry.
This award is fully funded by a grant totaling $850,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor.
For further details about BioPharma Grant Project or programs offered by the Verdugo Workforce Development Board, contact Executive Director Judith Velasco at 1-818-937-8031.