Employ Florida Banner Centers

Efforts to ensure Florida’s biotechnology industry has the highly skilled workforce it needs to continue to grow received a major boost with the establishment of the Employ Florida Banner Center for Biotechnology at the University of Florida.

Housed in the university’s Center of Excellence for Regenerative Health Biotechnology (CERHB), the Banner Center started in 2006. It serves as a state-of‐the‐art resource for biotechnology education and training in Florida and is creating and delivering industry‐approved curricula in industrial biotechnology for workforce training.
The Banner Center for Biotechnology focuses on:

• Assisting in providing a pipeline of workers, entry-level to advanced, for biotechnology
• Ensuring that programs within Florida's educational institutions are relevant and meet the biotechnology industry's needs and standards
• Establishing such centers as leaders of industry training and programmatic expertise with consulting capability to direct other Florida institutions to programs and practices of industry responsiveness and relevance
• Maximizing lifelong learning in settings demanded by today's marketplace including on-campus, virtual and on-site (business) training
• Allowing industry ongoing access to research and educational developments
• Promoting economic development in the biotechnology industry

The state has long been home to a thriving biotechnology industry that is expected to grow considerably as big bioscience research institutes attract spin-offs and other businesses. As this sector expands and transforms from a research and development industry to a high-growth manufacturing sector, the Banner Center for Biotechnology will help increase the availability of skills training so that Floridians are prepared to seize the resulting new high-skill, high-wage career opportunities.

Banner Center for Biotechnology partners, advisory council members and collaborating institutions include:

The Banner Center for Biotechnology counts among its achievements the creation of a statewide advisory council comprised of representatives from industry, education, workforce and economic development; semi-annual industry focus groups to maintain solid connectivity to the training needs of Florida biotechnology companies; and an industrial biotechnology needs assessment and pipeline study.

The Banner Center continues to work to create new partnerships and expand existing ones, and to produce new, industry-driven programs that address regional needs and that will lead to industry-recognized certifications. It also is aiming to provide online courses, increase collaboration with regional workforce boards and secure funding to support its sustainability.

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An equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this web site may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711.