The procedures for entering the clean room at Middlesex Community College are detailed and rigorous. Students must wash their hands thoroughly and wear personal protective equipment, including gloves, hairnets, long lab coats, face masks, and safety glasses.
Once in the lab, students work with live cells for assignments, observe the growth patterns of cancer cells, and analyze the cells’ chromosomes.
Everything about Middlesex University’s clean room is designed to mirror a real pharmaceutical company’s laboratory, including decontamination procedures.
“Everything you’re making, everything you’re touching is destined to go into someone’s body,” says Veronica Tay, a lab technician who graduated from Middlesex University last year. “Keep your eyes on the prize.”
Many Massachusetts students like Tay participate in the school’s biotechnology associate degree and certificate program, which prepares students for careers in the region’s biotechnology industry. . STEM programs are one of many workforce training pathways that attract students to community college education in Massachusetts.
Renewed interest in the Middlesex program comes as college enrollment nationwide rebounds after nearly a decade of declines exacerbated by the pandemic. Undergraduate enrollment at the state’s higher education institutions increased by about 3% in fall 2023 from the previous year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The state’s community colleges are at the forefront of that growth.
Students returning to community college classrooms are less interested in earning a bachelor’s degree. They come for vocational training and advanced skills.
“(Students today) want to earn a certification in a specific field or get an associate’s degree to jump into the workforce, so we’re trying to make sure we update our facilities to do that. ” he said. Phil Sisson, president of Middlesex Community College;
He said the creation of more laboratory space and “hands-on experiences” is now part of the school’s “master (facilities) plan.”
Middlesex State’s biotechnology program has been in existence for more than 30 years. But about 10 years ago, authorities decided to reinvest in major companies, including building clean room laboratories. That’s when Massachusetts’ community colleges began to move away from their traditional role as stepping stones to four-year degrees. Higher education officials say it is now the area’s center for high-tech jobs and vocational training.
“Increasingly, we are connecting people directly to job opportunities, especially in the modern technical field,” said Bob LePage, Massachusetts’ assistant secretary for career education.
LePage said the biggest growth area for community colleges right now is new environmentally friendly heating, ventilation and air conditioning technologies, such as heat pump installations. Cybersecurity is also popular.
“It’s become more visible partly because of market demand,” Lepage said. “And partly because people are hungry for upward mobility.”
In recent months, Massachusetts’ free community college initiative has accelerated the trend of returning to school for workforce training. New state initiatives like MassEducate, which offers free college tuition and fees to most state residents who don’t already have a degree, have made school much more affordable. Middlesex Community College’s biotechnology program costs approximately $13,000 per year without financial aid. School officials say recent graduates can find jobs locally with starting salaries of $55,000 or more.
The Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges estimates 10,000 new students enrolled at community colleges across the state this semester compared to last fall, but it’s unclear what percentage is enrolled at MassEducate.
Brendan Hughes, director of communications at Bunker Hill Community College, said interest in job training is widespread.
“I think people are ready to come back as the pandemic moves further and further into the rearview mirror,” he said.
In addition to increasing the supply of workers with special skills, community college graduates tend to be of different ages and cultural backgrounds. It was precisely the diversity of the student body that drew Megan Gross, then in her late 30s, to Middlesex Community College’s biotechnology program several years ago.
“We have people of all ages, all backgrounds, all ethnicities,” Gross said of her colleagues. “And I feel like that experience is going to be really powerful.”
And these university programs have the added benefit of directly connecting students with local employers. Eversource partners with Bunker Hill to host internships for students. According to recent intern Kevin Brito, this gives students a window into the industry.
“You can see everything you’re learning in class,” he said.
Brito, who enrolled in MasReConnect, a free tuition program for residents 25 and older, said she wanted to graduate from college with a lucrative career without taking on tens of thousands of dollars in student loans.
“Not having the stress (of paying off a large loan) is helpful,” Brito said. “It reduces the mental burden.”
