1. The Challenge
Across the region, life sciences employers were growing fast. Biotech companies expanded. Research institutions added staff. Demand for skilled workers rose at every level, from high school grads in lab tech roles to PhDs running drug development programs.
Students had almost no clear path in. Most didn't know that meaningful biotech careers existed at any degree level.
When the U.S. Department of Labor launched its Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, our team saw a chance to change that. The task was specific: design and deliver a semester-long biotechnology course that would draw high school and community college learners into human and animal life sciences, show the range of career paths available, and give students skills they could use on the job.
The course had to work for learners at several levels at once: recent high school graduates exploring options, community college students in technical programs, and those considering advanced study.
This wasn't a supplemental elective. It needed to be a credible, engaging workforce development tool with measurable outcomes, one that could change how learners saw their options in the life sciences.
2. The Solution
We built the course from scratch using Project-Based Learning (PBL) and a virtual internship model. Instead of teaching biotech as abstract concepts, we put students in a simulated workplace where they followed the same engineering and problem-solving steps working scientists and technicians use.
We aligned project content and tutorials with established course development guidelines and built assessments that tracked both knowledge and applied skills. To boost motivation and completion, we added gamified milestones learners could earn as they progressed.
A strong part of the course was its industry voice. We recorded video interviews with professionals across the regional life sciences ecosystem: regional life sciences program directors and BioSciences CEOs, award-winning biology and life sciences educators, researchers and lab staff, bioinformatics researchers, FDA pharmaceutical approval team members (drug safety, toxicity, and metabolism), contract research organization scientists running human trials with hepatocytes, and biotech workers at every education level from high school graduates to doctorate holders.
These interviews showed students what biotech careers actually look like and who does the work. Seeing people at every degree level succeed in the field spoke directly to a common barrier: not believing the field was for them.
For learners who couldn't yet access a physical lab, we built interactive simulations covering core safety and technique: fume hood operation, micropipetting, analytical and micro balance use, spectrometry, solution prep and dilution, electrophoresis, microscopy, and hemocytometer cell counting.
The simulations let learners practice on equipment they'd see in the field, building confidence before they ever walked into a real lab.
We also built a custom Learning Management System (LMS) for the program. It tracked each learner's progress, hosted all modules, and gave instructors a trainer portal to monitor students in real time. The course ran fully online and asynchronously, so geography and schedule were less of a barrier for working students or rural learners. We paired it with teacher support materials so high school and community college instructors could run the course consistently.
3. The Impact
The WIRED Biotechnology course launched as a full semester-long program for high schools and community colleges across the region. Virtual internships, industry interviews, lab simulations, and a dedicated LMS met learners where they were: online, on their own schedule, regardless of location.
The program targeted the workforce pipeline gap WIRED was meant to close. Completing students left with a clearer picture of career paths at every education level, hands-on exposure to core lab skills, and a realistic view of day-to-day biotech work. Regional employers and educators got a repeatable training tool for building their future workforce. The work met the DOL's dissemination and workforce development requirements under WIRED, and the modular design left room to update content as the regional life sciences industry changed.
4. Let's Build Your Workforce Pipeline
Have a workforce development initiative, grant requirement, or regional education challenge that needs a digital curriculum? Whether you're working with federal funding, a public health department, or a regional industry coalition, we can help you design and build a course that fits your learners, outcomes, and compliance needs.
Have a workforce development or grant-funded training project in mind? Let's discuss