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Who Will Be Our Healers? The Case for Linking Academics and a Job

New Brunswick, NJ, October 7, 2002 — A frequent lament among American employers is the lack of skilled workers to meet the ever-changing needs of the new economy.  In fact, survey after survey reports that finding and retaining qualified workers is the number one issue for U.S. industry today.  

While business groups, academe and government wrestle with this problem, good jobs go begging.  A recent study conducted by the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University concludes that many of the same labor shortages faced by other high-tech industries could threaten the pharmaceutical and medical technology industry.

“Looking Ahead:  A Workforce Supply and Demand Analysis for New Jersey’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Industry” highlights the emerging and long-term needs of the industry and puts forward some compelling statistics.  Specifically, the study — commissioned by the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey — concludes that New Jersey’s pharmaceutical and medical technology industry will expand and add almost 15,000 new jobs by the end of this decade.  That’s the good news.  

However, the report also cites a growing disparity between the number of new jobs and the number of qualified workers available to fill them.  These findings are particularly alarming because the shortages will undoubtedly affect the innovation and development of modern medicines.

So then, “Who will be our healers?”  

New Jersey’s pharmaceutical and medical technology industry continues to drive our state’s economy.  And it’s clearly evident that it is going to do so well into the future.

While many of the “traditional” employers like financial services, telecommunications and manufacturing are going through a restructuring period and paring jobs, the health care industry continues to grow.  Pharmaceuticals and medical technology — the life sciences industry — clearly is New Jersey’s premier industry.  

Yet despite the generous starting salaries and attractive benefits, few students are pursuing this rewarding and lucrative field.  In fact, the Heldrich Study uncovered some startling responses from high school juniors and seniors during the course of collecting their data.

According to the report, 46 percent of New Jersey high school students have taken no honors or advance placement classes in math or science, and more than half said they were either not aware or familiar with the types of jobs available in the pharmaceutical or medical technology industry.

It’s clear we must do a better job of encouraging more students toward math and science as we communicate the opportunity and value in these prestigious careers.  The health of New Jersey’s economy as well as the health of its citizens depends on the sustained growth of this industry.

Even as students indicated their lack of awareness of the industry, they showed marked interest when they learned of the opportunities in the pharmaceutical and medical technology field.  For example, of those same students who were surveyed, most indicated they would consider AP classes and specialized course work if it meant a good job awaited them after graduation.  More importantly, eight out of 10 students said they would enroll in focused courses related to the industry if it increased their chances of landing a good job.

What is compelling about these responses is the linkage between academic studies and satisfying career paths.  Too often, students have no idea of what they can do with a particular degree or coursework.  The undergraduate experience is commonly about obtaining a degree, not necessarily the skills desirable to be a productive and promotable employee.  

Although some academicians might sneer at the thought of making employment a goal of higher education, it is a reality.  But preparing students for future employment doesn’t automatically mean that we forfeit the classics.  Chaucer, Adam Smith and Plato are still important.  However, we must apply real-world thinking to real-world situations.  That begins by creating greater awareness of careers in the pharmaceutical and medical technology industry.

The entire higher education community can make important strides in this area by joining with industry leaders to enlighten students about the great jobs right in our own backyard.  But awareness alone is not the solution.  Higher education and industry leaders need to collaborate and construct meaningful ways to direct and inspire more students toward math and science.

Finally, the private sector, government and higher education must work together on a common, sector-wide approach to develop solutions that address the most fundamental challenges posed to science and math education beginning at the earliest grades.  Only then will New Jersey have the manpower and intellectual capacity to compete in the global economy and remain the “World’s Cure Corridor.”