County Supervisor Hilda Solis and USC hosted a roundtable discussion with Assistant Secretary of Commerce Jay Williams on the proposed biotech corridor in East Los Angeles.
Among the academic, medical, business and city leaders who joined the July 9 discussion on jobs creation and economic opportunities were Gary Toebben, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and Bill Allen, president and CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
“Los Angeles has a competitive edge with multiple hospitals, strong academic and economic partners such as the ones here today, and numerous other training centers that can provide opportunities for our residents,” said Thomas S. Sayles, USC senior vice president for university relations.
The bioscience industry is a rapidly growing segment of the world economy that provides substantial public benefit.
The proposed biotech corridor plan, supported by key city and county partners, is a potential economic driver that could create up to 3,000 new construction jobs and almost 4,000 permanent jobs — jobs that will be accessible for the local community as well as to the medical and research professionals.
“I envision a biotech corridor that will establish a school-to-workforce pipeline helping undergraduate and graduate college students transition from the classroom to full-time employment as they secure local good-paying jobs,” Solis said.
“As the Great Recession devastated job growth in various sectors of our economy, one area that grew was biotechnology. USC students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are acquiring the necessary skillsets they need to thrive in our emerging regional economy.”
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