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To Biotechnology
Employers...
The NVC Biotechnology program was developed to fill
a need for trained laboratory technicians in the greater
San Antonio area. The program will provide training
for students in a wide variety of lab procedures and
techniques. This A.A.S. degree program will help to
prepare students for successful transitions into entry-level
lab tech positions, or allow them to transfer into degree
programs at four-year schools.
Benefits of our program include:
We plan to produce graduates who will be able to adapt
to a variety of lab settings and situations. The curriculum
includes courses in lab methods, cell culture techniques,
molecular techniques and lab instrumentation, as well
as an internship in a working biotech lab. Students
will also take courses in public speaking, ethics, psychology,
algebra, computer systems, chemistry, and microbiology.
The curriculum is geared toward the creation of a well-rounded
lab technician -- one that can work well in the lab
and also communicate well both verbally and in writing.
We strive to make our laboratory experience as complete
as possible for the students; thus, we try to provide
as many laboratory site visits as possible. Though there
are many techniques we can teach effectively on campus,
there is no substitute for experience gained in actual
working labs. Such visits provide opportunities for
lab staff to demonstrate certain techniques, or provide
short-term training in these methods. Also, the specialized
techniques and experiences gained while working in actual
biotech labs cannot always be duplicated effectively
in an educational setting. In general, the more labs
the students see, the more comfortable they will feel
in the workplace.
We are coordinating with local biotech companies for
potential sites where our students will complete the
internship component of their training. Such an internship
consists of a student training roughly 10-15 hours per
week in a working laboratory for one semester. This
provides a beneficial experience for the student, and
provides the lab with some extra help. It also allows
the lab manager a free look at potential employees.
The internship may be paid or unpaid at the discretion
of the company.
Along with forming partnerships for our internship
course, we are also looking for qualified local biotech
personnel who would like the opportunity to teach certain
techniques within our other classes. Such instructional
experiences could be set up for a single class or for
several classes, depending on the topic(s). If you have
personnel who are skilled in various techniques in molecular
biology, cell culture, or lab instrumentation, and who
might enjoy teaching these techniques to our students,
please contact us.
In turn, we are also developing ways to provide training
for technicians currently working in labs. As the program
develops, we hope to set up a modular schedule that
will allow us to train current lab workers in 4-week
or 5-week blocks, thus minimizing their time away from
work. We also hope to offer more evening courses. The
overall benefit, of course, is to provide local labs
with a homegrown pool of potential lab staff, and provide
continuing training for those who are currently employed
in the biotech field.
 If
your company is interested in our program, or if you
would like more information, I can be reached using
the info below.
Neil McCrary, Biotechnology
Coordinator
Northwest Vista College
3535 N. Ellison Dr., AB 201
San Antonio, TX 78251
Phone: (210) 348-2282
Fax: (210) 348-2264
Email:
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