Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
480-731-8503

For Immediate Release

MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGES MAKE WORKFORCE TRAINING
COMMITMENT TO BIOTECH INDUSTRY
$1.5 Million in Proposition 301 Funds dedicated to Biotechnology

April 24, 2002 - As Arizona makes its bid to become the home of the International Genomics Consortium (IGC) and the Arizona Bioscience and Biomedicine Institutes (ABBI) work to attract biotech industries here, the Maricopa Community Colleges are pledging to provide a trained workforce.

"By committing $1.5 million in Proposition 301 funds, over the next five years, the Maricopa Community Colleges will be able to develop the programs to train workers for this new priority industry," said Dr. Fred Gaskin, Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges. "Our colleges are actively engaged in program development for the biotechnology industry. We are also developing pipeline programs, certificates and degrees to encourage more culturally diverse students to pursue math and science careers."

"The primary focus of the biotechnology industry is research," said Dr. Mary Vanis, Director of the Maricopa Community Colleges Center for Workforce Development. "It doesn't matter whether the area is pharmaceutical, environmental, medical devices or agricultural, there is an immediate and growing need for entry-level laboratory technicians, biologists and production assistants." The vision of the Maricopa Community Colleges, focused on workforce development, is to ensure that the Greater Phoenix economy has a skilled labor pool to meet the existing and emerging needs of employers. The community college portion of Prop 301 funds is solely dedicated to workforce development by statute.

"This is the kind of commitment essential in creating the scientific environment necessary to support the work being done by the IGC and the biotech industry," said Dr. Michael Berens, co-chair of the Arizona BioIndustry Cluster and a researcher at Barrow Neurological Institute. "While the state's three universities work to attract top research scientists, the Maricopa Community Colleges will train the people who will work for them."

"The bioscience and biomedical industries are expected to grow by 40% within three years," explains Phoenix City Councilman Greg Stanton. "It's going to take a real cross-collaboration to attract the IGC and other biotech companies." According to Ernst and Young, the U.S. biotech industry has already created more than 437,000 jobs and had a $47 billion dollar impact on the economy.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges - Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves more than 277,000 students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002