MassBioEd Foundation to Develop Job Trends and Forecasting Program

Dec 30, 2015

MassBio’s Impact 2020 report identified a challenge for companies as they grow and thrive in Massachusetts—data on and access to the right workforce.

MassBio’s job listings site reached an all-time high so far in 2015, averaging well over 2,000 listings per day. Anecdotally, industry employers are reporting difficulty in hiring for a variety of positions. Such reports raise concerns that our traditionally strong pipeline of high quality workers is under strain.

Specifically, Impact 2020 found both companies and universities face challenges in workforce development and training due to the lack of a reliable, ongoing source of data on job demand in the life sciences industry.

That’s where the MassBioEd Foundation comes in. Beginning this fall, MassBioEd will build a job trends and forecasting tool, collecting data from MassBio member companies, analyzing the trends, and sharing with hiring managers and academic institutions.

“Our goal is for the MassBioEd Foundation to be the universally accepted source for information on industry job trends, providing a needed resource for educators, employers, and job seekers,” said Peter Abair, MassBioEd’s new Executive Director.

MassBioEd will continue to strengthen its widely-recognized, signature BioTeach program which provides training and mentorship for public high school science teachers on lab-based lessons in the life sciences as well as Career Exploration Days at local biotech and pharma companies. The new job trends and forecasting capacity builds upon

MassBioEd’s educational programming foundation by providing a clear understanding of what jobs are trending strongly, what skills are associated with those positions, and what job opportunities will be available in the future.

MassBioEd will roll out initial reporting in December 2015, including three-month and three-year job trends by category as well as required skill sets, experience levels, and degree levels. By mid-2016, the reporting will be web-based and augmented with more in-depth required job skills information as well as job forecasting. This new service has received strong support from industry and financial support from MassBio.

“We are proud to support MassBioEd’s new job forecasting initiative,” stated MassBio President & CEO Robert K. Coughlin. “We believe it will serve as a valuable resource for the continued development of the booming life sciences industry in Massachusetts.”

The service is in line with MassBioEd’s central mission, which aspires to engage teachers, inspire students and guide the life sciences workforce.

“Our aim is to be a trusted guide to educators, industry, and prospective industry employees,” stated Abair. “We want to demystify the pathway from the classroom to the workforce.”

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