Aligning Training with Industry Standards in Biotechnology

This Bi-National Exchange developed management and teaching models appropriate for Brazil and the United States by strengthening the quality of technical education, improving business/technical education partnerships, and increasing opportunities for inclusion for underserved populations in technical education.

In this exchange, five U.S. community colleges partnered with 10 Brazilian technical colleges (Institutos Federales de Ciência e Tecnologia, or IFETs). Each partnership of three colleges (two in Brazil and one in the States) created and pursued its own area of focus.

The San Diego Miramar College and IFET-Paraíba/IFET-Pernambuco partnership, Biotechnology Curriculum Training for Instructors, focused on closing the gap between current biotechnology instruction and the skills demanded by biotechnology industries. With funding from a small mini-grant, four instructors from Brazil completed biotechnology training at Miramar’s Life Science Summer Institute and gained new skills in biotechnology laboratory procedures as well as the supporting curriculum and teaching methodology to implement the laboratory courses in their own institutions.

As part of their training, the IFET faculty performed externships, conducted background research, and delivered a final presentation that provided a regional industry overview.