Employers

Bay Area biomedical/biotechnology companies and institutions realize significant benefits through their participation in Biotech Partners. The Biotech Partners program develops an entry-level biotechnology workforce that is essential to the success of this key industry segment.

The following are some of the more than 35 companies and organizations that have provided paid internships and co-op jobs for our participants; they have also hired Biotech Partners graduates:

• Bayer HealthCare
• Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
• U.S. Dept. of Energy Joint Genome Institute
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Genentech, Inc.
• Libby Laboratories, Inc.
• Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI)
• Berkeley Dog and Cat Hospital
• East Bay Municipal Utility District/EBMUD
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland
• Michael Eisen Lab at UC Berkeley
• UCB Genomics Sequencing Lab
• Tethys Bioscience
• Microbiology & Quality Associates, Inc.
• Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center
• Alameda County Dept. of Public Health
• Pets Unlimited Veterinary Hospital
• Lawrence Hall of Science
• Brookside Community Health Center/La Clínica Alta Vista
• Highland Hospital
• Covance Research Products
• Roche Molecular Systems
• Xoma
• Applied Biosystems
• Baxter Healthcare Corp.
• Clorox Corporation
• Cortex Biochem
• Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics

Interested in Hiring an Experienced Workforce?
The advantage of hiring a Biotech Partners graduate is that this employee will have laboratory skills that are based on current best practices and specifically tailored to the needs of the biotechnology industry. By succeeding in the Biotech Partners program, your new employee has demonstrated that he or she has the dedication and commitment to succeed.

One large Bay Area biotechnology company reports a retention rate of more than 85% among its Biotech Partners hires. 

What accounts for this success rate? Biotech Partners students receive 1300 hours of on-the-job training through the program. High school Biotech Academy students complete a critical element of the learning process – a paid Summer Internship Program, which links classroom experience to work. This vital step forges a connection between the detailed academic training the student receives and the application in the real-world laboratory setting.

After graduating from high school, the students participate in the Bioscience Career Institute for Community College Students. The

"Co-op" experience truly sets Biotech Partners graduates apart from other entry-level applicants. Co-op students work 32 hours per week during the summer and 20 hours per week during the academic year while taking courses in biology, microbiology, organic/inorganic chemistry and biochemistry. This is a demanding schedule that requires good time management skills.

Usually within three months of graduation, Biotech Partners students are employed in the biotech industry. With a higher retention rate, turnover and training costs are reduced. Our graduates enter the workforce prepared and committed.

Perhaps best of all, your company can be confident that it is supporting a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that is helping to build lifetime skills among a community that is traditionally underrepresented in the sciences.

If your company’s goals include building sustainability in the community, providing employment opportunities to Biotech Partners graduates is a meaningful step toward reaching that goal.

For more information about Biotech Partners or hiring graduates of the program, please contact Deborah Bellush, Executive Director, at (510) 705-5192.