2 grants will advance Pitt life sciences and cyber training opportunities

The Richard King Mellon Foundation has awarded two grants to the University of Pittsburgh that will help fund new job training programs in Pittsburgh’s emerging cybersecurity, biomanufacturing and life sciences industries, among others.

The two grants, totaling more than $800,000, are part of a larger effort to train local workers for job opportunities in these burgeoning industries.

Building a strong life sciences workforce

Three Pitt entities — the School of Education, the Office of Engagement and Community Affairs (ECA) and The University of Pittsburgh Center for Excellence in Digital Education (EDGE) — will join Pittsburgh Public Schools Career and Technical Education, Community College of Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance in using a $497,000 grant to determine the best ways to train and certify tens of thousands of life sciences workers who will soon be needed by the rapidly growing industry in Western Pennsylvania. This career-building opportunity is first targeting potential workers from Greater Hazelwood, Homewood and the Hill District, in locations such as Pitt’s under-construction BioForge biomanufacturing innovation facility.

“The program continues to strengthen Pitt’s approach to translating the life sciences sector development to economic opportunity at the community scale,” said Lina Dostilio, Pitt vice chancellor for external relations.

Dostilio, who was vice chancellor of ECA through the development of BioForge and the Richard King Mellon Foundation grant process, noted that this new work dovetails with a prior Heinz Endowments grant funding skill advancement and career awareness at ages similar and younger.

“This planning process, alongside our work to establish a life sciences bridge program for 18-to 24-year-olds and biotech curriculum for middle schoolers, is establishing connections to the life sciences for our neighbors across the lifespan,” said Dostilio. 

Based on extensive industry and community input, the project will develop life-sciences career pathways in southwestern Pennsylvania. Those programs will include early exposure for middle and high school students, a credential-to-degree pathway in the life sciences in two- and four-year higher education institutions, and an immersive experience at Pitt’s BioForge that will place associate-degree holders within project teams. These programs will also include hybrid and online educational experiences developed in partnership with Pitt EDGE.

“The Pittsburgh region has a critical window of opportunity to become a life sciences powerhouse, but we must act swiftly,” said Eboni Zamani-Gallaher, the dean of the School of Education. “Our project aims to create clear career pathways to build a strong, diverse workforce for this growing industry, which is expected to add 24,000 life sciences jobs and 180,000 related jobs in southwestern Pennsylvania over the next five years. By prioritizing the inclusion of job seekers typically excluded from STEM roles, we can ensure they benefit from this growth and contribute to the economic development of the region.”

Advancing cyber education

Alongside the life sciences, there’s a second industry that’s poised for growth in the region: cybersecurity. At a time of increasing cyberattacks and increasing sophistication of the technology used in those attacks, the region’s maturing cybersecurity industry offers a unique opportunity to rapidly train Pittsburghers to protect Pennsylvania and the United States.

The University of Pittsburgh and InnovatePGH, a local collection of coalition of civic leaders in the innovation space, are rising to meet that need. In collaboration with the Pittsburgh Technology Council and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, they are coming together to create The Greater Pittsburgh CyberHub — a regional cybersecurity talent pipeline to enhance job-placement rates, improve job retention through better training and foster adaption to changing technologies to meet industry needs. The work is funded by a $308,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

The leaders of the new Greater Pittsburgh CyberHub plan to first create an online platform where information related to cybersecurity in the region can be more easily found in one central location, such as an event calendar for professional trainings or K-12 classes, a database of job postings and more. This digital hub, a first for the Pittsburgh region, aims to make it easier for people of all backgrounds to work towards a career in cybersecurity.

Second, the group will establish connections between K-12 education, higher education, professional training programs and industry employers to ensure collaboration between organizations at all levels of the cybersecurity career journey. Part of the challenge of cybersecurity is adapting to rapidly changing technology. By establishing these connections, educators can ensure that students at all levels are learning what the industry currently requires, and industry leaders can share their expertise with the cybersecurity workforce of the future.

“With the support of Richard King Mellon, this extraordinary team brings together higher and K-12 education, workforce development and industry to implement a game-changing CyberHub for our region,” said David Hickton, founding director of Pitt Cyber. “We are proud to collaborate with our partners to ensure that Pennsylvania, and indeed the nation, are equipped with the cybersecurity professionals necessary to safeguard our future.”

The grants were awarded following a call for proposals from nonprofit and public-sector organizations to create or enhance partnerships with employers that train workers in these industries. Seven grants were given in total, with Pitt receiving two.

“Working with so many partners, we together have made great progress in enabling these emerging industries to take root in Pittsburgh,” said Richard King Mellon Foundation director Sam Reiman. “But those industries only will flourish if we together are just as serious about creating the sector-based partnerships that will produce the trained workforce these emerging industries need.” 

Photography by Tom Altany