SAN DIEGO, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego State University, BIOCOM, San Diego Workforce Partnership, and the Southern California Biotechnology Center at Miramar College today announced the award of a three-year, $4.95 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor aimed at assisting the economic growth of the San Diego region's life sciences industry. The Biotechnology Readiness, Immersion, Certification and Degrees for Gainful Employment (BRIDGE) project will provide education, training, and placement services to more than 1,000 veterans, incumbent workers and dislocated and unemployed workers within the San Diego region.
All of these courses are part of a pipeline that can be used to educate, recruit, train and place workers of all levels, from high school students to people with graduate degrees and military veterans.
"These are jobs that will offer good wages and benefits far into the future," said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.
"We are very pleased to be able to reach out to veterans, the unemployed and other job seekers in the San Diego region and enable these individuals and San Diego's life sciences industry to benefit significantly from our nation's Economic Stimulus investment in higher education," said SDSU President Stephen L. Weber.
Fifteen industry members wrote letters of support for this grant application. As partners, these companies are committed to providing internships, on-the-job training, apprenticeships and employment.
The program will be administered jointly through the San Diego State University College of Sciences and College of Extended Studies.
About BIOCOM
BIOCOM represents more than 550 member companies in Southern California. The association focuses on initiatives that position the region's life science industry competitively on the world stage, and on the development and delivery of innovative products that improve health and quality of life. This includes initiatives in capital formation, public policy, workforce development, and member services. For more information please visit http://www.biocom.org.
About Miramar College
San Diego Miramar College, home to the Southern California Biotechnology Center, offers over 120 certificates, associate degrees, and comprehensive transfer programs to students transferring to University of California, California State Universities and private universities. Each semester, around 13,000 students of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds attend Miramar College classes. The College's mission is to prepare students to succeed in a changing world within an environment that values excellence in learning, teaching, innovation and diversity. For more information please visit http://www.sdmiramar.edu/index.asp
CONTACT: Terri Somers, Director of Communications of BIOCOM,
+1-858-455-0300, ext 110, tsomers@biocom.org; or Gina Jacobs, Media
Relations Manager of SDSU, +1-619-594-4563, gina.jacobs@sdsu.edu
Web site: http://www.biocom.org/
http://www.sdsu.edu/
http://www.sdmiramar.edu/index.asp/
http://www.sandiegoatwork.org/
http://www.biocominstitute.org/
