Algae consortium developing programs to advance algae education

In Washington, D.C., the Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) is developing programs to educate and employ the next generation of algae researchers and to improve skills for those already in the algae workforce, with funding from the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

ATEC is a partnership between community colleges, universities, national research laboratories, and industry leaders. ATEC, launched by the Algae Foundation, is having tremendous success in helping up-and- coming algal researchers to achieve success in the field by creating high-quality algal-based educational programs. These students are quickly finding jobs across the U.S. algae industry. According to the 2016 ATEC Algal Employment Assessment Survey, the algae industry is expected to grow significantly by 2021. This is based on a previous ATEC job survey in algal cultivation, harvesting, and processing, as well as algal biomanufacturing, fermentation, and biotechnology.

There are not enough education programs to prepare students to fill the demand for jobs in the algae industry, so ATEC has developed several ways for students to participate.