Biotech Networks Hosts First Virtual Career Fair Focused on Improving Diversity in California's Life Science Industry
Accessible virtual event highlighting diversity in STEM resources, candidates, and hiring companies will accelerate California's life science job force scale up after COVID-19 lockdowns.
SAN DIEGO and SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Biotech Networks, the premier life science organization catalyzing connections between thousands of professionals in the field globally, is hosting the first virtual career fair focused on improving diversity in California's life science industry. Biotech Networks pivoted in 2020 to virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leveraging cutting edge software to ensure that valuable connections that fuel life science research and development advancements continue to be made. Biotech Networks is now leveraging this expertise and has partnered with organizations to accelerate the hiring process by connecting college and graduate-level job seekers with hiring companies at a diversity-focused career fair August 10th.
The California life science job market has been somewhat insulated from the volatility of the pandemic, with many companies deemed to be essential and of course responsible for creating the successful COVID-19 vaccines and working to develop therapies to treat the virus. While the high cost of living in California has caused some to speculate that employees living in the state, which is home to biotech hubs in San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles, a recent UC San Diego study showed that a mass exodus from the sunshine state is not happening.1
Biotech Networks hosts online job boards throughout California and has recorded a steady increase in the number of jobs posted over the past 18 months. A surge in biotech IPOs in the state is further fueling growth, including Caribou Biosciences, Codex DNA, Erasca and Ambrx. These trends have led to speculation that the life science job market is now a "searcher's market" where the number of open positions may often exceed the number of available job applicants. Employees across many sectors are requesting more work-life balance accommodations and pay increases after gaining a different perspective during the pandemic.
Coupled with these sentiments are the well-needed emphasis on improving workplace equality, company culture, and business performance by providing more resources and opportunities for underrepresented groups. The Biotechnology Innovation Organization's (BIO) "Measuring Diversity in the Biotech Industry: Advancing Equity and Inclusion" 2021 report surveyed 100 BIO member companies and found that women and employees of color are still underrepresented in executive roles, at 31% and 21%, respectively. While many factors have led to these inequities, improvements in the recruitment of diverse candidates can help to reduce these disparities by ensuring that a company's internal talent pool is more representative.
Biotech Networks is catalyzing connections between life science companies and diverse candidates by partnering with organizations that serve underrepresented groups in STEM, as well as California-based educational institutions, to organize a virtual career fair that will be more accessible than traditional in-person events. Biotech Networks has chosen the Brazen virtual career fair platform, which features video and text chatting capabilities. The event will include presentations from speakers specializing in providing resources to STEM job seekers with varied experiences and seniority levels. The following associations and universities have partnered with Biotech Networks for the August 10th Career Fair:
- Black Women in Science and Engineering
- Women in BIO Southern California
- BioscienceLA
- 500 Women Scientists (San Diego, Palo Alto)
- Keck Graduate Institute
- San Diego Workforce Partnership
- UC San Diego Postdoctoral Association
- California State University San Marcos College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (CSTEM)
- Harvey Mudd College
Biotech Networks has also leveraged its vast network of company connections to acquire leading life science employers to sponsor the event, and expects more to join leading up to the event:
- Illumina
- Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
- Takara Bio USA
- Codex DNA
- BASF
Employer sponsorships will be available until August 4th and job seekers can sign up until the event on August 10th. More information, including jobs available, can be found on the event page.
1. Kousser, T., Reller, C., 2021, University of California San Diego, accessed July 20 2021 reference link
Media Contact
Mary Canady, San Diego Biotechnology Network, +1 8589226640, [email protected]
SOURCE San Diego Biotechnology Network
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