This month, hundreds of thousands of students across the Commonwealth, the U.S., and around the world return to the Massachusetts colleges and universities located from Boston to the Berkshires. This is in addition to the beginning of the academic year for Massachusetts’ k-12 students. WalletHub recently ranked Massachusetts the best state to live in noting our high-quality education.
In Massachusetts, the excellent public education system, strong regional community college programs, world-class colleges and universities, and state-of-the-art facilities all work together to support the advancement of science—with reliable, enthusiastic support from industry and government. The MLSC has invested more than half a billion dollars to support capital infrastructure and research equipment. These investments, which drive innovation in areas such as drug delivery, data science, and women’s health, play an important role in why the Commonwealth is the talent hub for life sciences and healthcare Innovation.
The recent report from WalletHub highlighted that almost half of adults in Massachusetts over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree, and more than one in five have a graduate or professional degree. Massachusetts is of course home to several prestigious Tier 1 research institutions. However, the MLSC and its partners are also committed to a sector that can provide opportunities for those with no prior scientific work experience or higher education credentials. Massachusetts non-profits and two-year and four-year institutions are critical partners in this endeavor.
The MLSC and its partners continue to make historical investments supporting experiential, hands-on learning opportunities for the next generation of life science professionals, connecting employers with prospective talent to cultivate a workforce pipeline, and sparking career interest and enabling schools and teachers to educate our future STEM workforce. The Center is also proud of its continued partners and support of critical outside-of-school programs.
To students in Massachusetts, welcome back to school and an ecosystem like no other.
