Dallas College has won an $8.8 million grant to help train people in communities considered "underserved" for jobs in biotechnology. Dallas College was one of 509 institutions to apply nationwide and one of just 32 to win a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
"This is a huge deal for North Texas to really put us on the map in the biotech space," said Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon.
Lonon said the college system will receive the grant, but he says more than 40 organizations worked together on the proposal.
"Hopefully what we're going to do is we're going to train people for jobs in the biotech life sciences industry," Lonon said. "It's a huge, burgeoning area, and there's such a tremendous need. This is going to be the start of fulfilling that need."
Stephen Love, chief executive of the DFW Hospital Council, said the grant will also establish North Texas as a research hub in the field.
"When you think in terms of workforce, that's what hospitals have to deal with every day," Love said. "When we look at biotech, that is really the future in a lot of the workforce in all of our hospitals. Our hospitals are so excited to be a part of this."
Among other organizations that worked with Dallas College on the proposal are UT Arlington and Tarrant County College. Tarrant County College Interim Chancellor Elva LeBlanc said the grant will help train people from underserved communities for jobs but also fill existing needs in the medical field.
"Tarrant County College is positioned to be nimbler, adjust and implement pathways and programs to help students progress efficiently towards completion and align with career opportunities," LeBlanc said.
Dallas College's Lonon said the grant proposal shows how the area can work together on one cause.
"Think about what we can do just in the next few years to begin to put thousands of people to work in the bio-industry space," Lonon said.
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