8:30 - 8:45 AM: Welcome - Overview of Industry Workforce Data and Terms
8:45 - 10:30 AM: Bridging the Gap
This two-part session will provide an opportunity for attendees to gain an appreciation for both how industry organizations approach hiring strategy and how academic institutions create curriculum. After hearing from experts in each arena, the two will come together for joint Q&A.
8:45 - 9:30 Part 1: Understanding Industry Hiring Strategies
Many industry organizations have shifted away from an individual hiring model - hiring to fill a specific position - to an organization hiring model - hiring to fill an organizational skill, knowledge, or other requirement. This broader type of hiring model requires a strategy that is not focused on hiring to fill an immediate need, but instead, hiring to fill both an immediate and an expected need. Learn why organizations have made that shift, the kinds of requirements that to be accounted for - including future skills and institutional knowledge stewardship - and how that has impacted the hiring process.
9:30 - 10:15 Part 2: Understanding Curriculum Development in Higher Education
While some professional degree programs are guided by licensing requirements many programs - at all levels - from certifications to graduate degrees are not and it is left to the college or university to determine curriculum. As a result, there are significant variances in how programs are designed and how success is measured across the higher education spectrum. Learn some of the most common practices for determining curriculum and discover avenues for engagement.
10:15 - 10:30 Part 1 and Part 2 Q&A
10:35 - 10:50 AM: Micro-Session – Spotlight on the Career Spectrum at One of Michigan’s Expanding Companies
Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM) is a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that supports pharmaceutical development, cGMP manufacturing, analytical testing, and regulatory filing. The organization requires a workforce that includes Microbiologists, Business Managers, Manufacturing Technicians, and everything in between, that operates three shifts, and that has individuals with HS diplomas to PhDs. Hear from Human Resources at GRAM what qualifications are the most common in their workforce, the role of experience v. education in their hiring practices, and what types of work are included under the umbrella of life sciences.
10:50 - 11:10 AM: Visit Virtual Company Exhibit Booths
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM: Practical Skills and Employment Considerations: What Does the Modern Hiring Process Look Like and What are Employers Actually Seeking
Essential for transitioning students to professionals, those seeking a career change into the life sciences, or even changing employers, is an understanding of the modern hiring process. What non-technical skills, work habits, and mindsets are determinants of hireability? How can educators prepare their students to be the right fit for a career in life sciences? How can life sciences professionals get connected to open positions and get their foot in the door at a new company?
Hear from industry HR experts on where they recruit talent, what their process entails, and the characteristics that will either get a candidate a second look or an immediate rejection.
12:05 - 12:50 PM: Alternative Approaches to Addressing Michigan's Bio-Talent Challenges
Aside from the traditional college degree, companies, public entities and universities have developed innovative programs and initiatives to address current and future talent needs.
Hear about state-led talent initiatives in other high-tech fields, K-12 outreach programs led by industry, Research Opportunities for Undergraduate students designed to engage attendees in future STEM education, and life sciences apprenticeships all designed to address biotalent current and future needs.
12:50 - 12:55 PM: What Come's Next?
A brief recap of the common themes, interesting questions, and discussion highlights coming out of the morning sessions in preparation for the afternoon roundtables.
12:55 - 1:30 Virtual Company Presentations in Exhibit Booths
1:30 - 4:30 PM: Roundtable Discussions
Join any table for a discussion with other attendees, industry and academic professionals, students and jobseekers - expand on the morning's topics and make connections.
