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University extension offers technical training
By GEORGE MOORE
For the thousands of laid-off high-tech workers in the greater Bay Area, enrolling in a University of California--Santa Cruz Extension course may be just the ticket for a new career path. The UC-Santa Cruz Extension in Cupertino offers certificate programs that can help former information technology workers transition into the flourishing biotechnology field.
The extension program is having a career night March 21 from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. at its Cupertino facility, located at 10420 Bubb Road. There will be a presentation of various certificate programs and any questions will be addressed.
Cathy Sandeen, dean of UC-Santa Cruz Extension, said the Bay Area has the largest number of biotech companies in the United States--employing more than 80,000 people.
"There's been a huge shift in the workforce, and it seems like the perfect opportunity for people to enter into this growing area," Sandeen said.
According to Sandeen, the UC-Santa Cruz Extension program is self-supporting and operates in a businesslike manner. It needs to be responsive to the needs of the community--keeping in close contact with its individual students, many of whom return again and again for additional education and training, she said.
"We also stay in contact with businesses and industries in the area to find out what they see on the horizon in terms of workforce trends and training that their employees may need," she added. "We pride ourselves in our flexibility and responsiveness to workforce needs."
Mary Brooks, associate marketing director, said the extension program does not have full-time faculty--all of its instructors are professionals who are practicing what they teach.
"What our students learn is something they can take back the very next day and use at their job," Brooks said. "For example, a student may come here to learn how to program, not just what programming can do for them."
According to Brooks, some of the feedback they constantly hear from students is that the courses not only give them specific skills needed to move ahead in their careers, but interaction with peers from other companies gives them greater self-confidence when they return to their jobs.
"They come for the practical content and quality of instruction, but they leave with a lot more," Sandeen said. "I think that's what keeps them coming back."
Networking is nothing new to Silicon Valley workers. Brooks said if you come to any of their facilities around 6 p.m. they are usually packed with student professionals discussing the job market and trading business cards.
Elizabeth Lawson, an employee in the biotech field, said she heard of the program through a co-worker at a former company. Lawson said she wanted to move into clinical research, and the company paid for the classes and was supportive and encouraging. Lawson said she completed the coursework two years ago and that it helped immensely.
"I met a lot of new contacts in the business, which helped when I was laid off from a biotech position last summer," Lawson added. "I was out of work for about five minutes."
Bettina Oelke has been involved with the extension program for seven years and is currently director of applied and natural sciences. Oelke said they offer a core group of courses that help lay a foundation for the understanding of the biotech field overall, as well as specific segments.
Oelke said there are two existing certificate programs offered, and a third will be starting in April. They offer certificates in clinical trials design and management and bioinformatics, which is a marriage between molecular and computer science. According to Oelke, the new program is a general biotechnology certificate to help people actually move into that industry.
Sandeen said students enroll in classes at the extension program through a variety of means--open enrollment through its catalog, employees sent to classes by their employer, or customized on-site training courses. The extension also has contacts with various workforce investment boards in the region that send students to them who have received federal aid for retraining.
Those interested in finding out more about the extension program should call 408.566.4550.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
