Since 1999, Executive Director Hermi Cubillos said Job Path has been guiding people to good jobs, those that become careers, “or transforming bad jobs into good ones” by providing workers the education they need to move ahead.
Now, she said the Tucson based nonprofit organization is looking to a younger audience. Joining in a partnership with Pima Community College and the University of Arizona, they are reaching out to educate high school students for careers in science, engineering and biotechnology, offering each of them $800 and four college credits for completing the course.
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Although different in age group and subject, she said both summer programs are designed for the same purpose, “to prepare kids for their work life.”
With the launch of the Translational Genomics Institute in Phoenix, the BIO5 Institute in Tucson and a variety of other biotech research operations in the state, Cubillos said biotechnology “is an emerging industry which will increasingly provide many of Arizona’s best paying jobs.” Meanwhile, mathematics will play a major part in a variety of occupations, such as construction, engineering and the sciences.
More than just an introduction for those planning to pursue advanced degrees, Cubillos said the Job Path program is about providing the foundation for any career in the field. “We know that some will go on to pursue postgraduate degrees, but many will not,” she said. “So, we’re exposing them to what’s available in a more cohesive way,” preparing them for the opportunities available. “Once they know, what path they choose is up to them.”
As for the stipend, Cubillos said, “Many of the families in Tucson are not well to do,” Cubillos said. So, the money can make the difference between being able to afford to take the class or not. “It’s not a lot for completing the five-week course, but we started out offering a little bit of summer money as an incentive and it’s been extremely successful.”
In addition to helping students to take the first step toward a technology career, the program is paving the way for employers in key industries in need of more qualified employees. That’s increasingly important for Arizona, said Saundra Johnson, executive vice president of the Flinn Foundation, author of the Arizona Bioscience Roadmap.
She said the foundation has been supporting the Job Path summer institute because of what it can mean for “building the bioscience pipeline.”
In the foundation’s latest report on high school bioscience education, it noted an imbalance between supply and demand for biotechnology workers. Since Arizona’s high school math and science programs are crucial for building that workforce, “anything that helps the relationship between high schools, community colleges and universities is essential,” she said.
“The fact that the Job Path institute has been around for two years, targets minority populations and uses some of the same skill sets as the adult program makes this one unique,” Johnson said. “It’s why we’re excited about it.”
Since this is the last year for Department of Labor support, she said the Flinn Foundation is encouraging employers to take over the $30,000 per year it costs Job Path to present the summer institute. “That’s the next step.”
As for local support, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities promises more support for more educational programs targeting high technology and biotechnology, coordinated through the BioSA biotechnology cluster. TREO’s executive vice president, Kendall Bert, said, “We’re pleased to see anything that gets kids to understand what’s going on and what their options are, especially in the technology field where they pay is great.”
He said, “These kinds of programs are valuable, especially since there’s often so much emphasis on going to college in high schools. Kids don’t learn about tech fields and, therefore, don’t know what’s out there.”
Beyond encouraging the summer program, Bert said TREO is working to put an emphasis on laboratory and practical mathematics programs through the new Joint Technical Education District. “The blueprint takes in the entire workforce,” he said. So should science education.
“That’s why I’m pleased to see JTED is now here. This is a place where students can learn,” he said, but with that learning “they can also come out of the program and get jobs.”
Philip S. Moore
Inside Tucson Business
Contact Philip S. Moore by email at pmoore@azbiz.com or call (520) 295-4238.
© 2007 Inside Tucson Business. All Rights Reserved
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