Colorado Jobs in Bio-Technologies and Aviation

Bioscience is Booming

The huge Colorado Bioscience Park opened in Aurora in the Greater Denver Area on the former Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center property. The facility is now a major center of efforts to increase health and wellbeing in Colorado, America, and other countries.

In the 2020s, the biosciences are extremely important for NASA's Mission to Mars, in particular the Astronaut Class of 2013 that contains several male and female physicians, all training seriously to become the first crew to land on that planet.

These sciences are also important to the Mars Society's Martian life simulations in domed habitats in the Western U.S.A. These sciences help determine how to provide essential clean air and water, and food to astronauts and commercial travelers that will fly to Mars.

This research and development park is currently operated by the Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, with 6,000 jobs provided to workers during their first year of operation. Another 25,000 positions were offered in 2008, with additional jobs added each year.

The park houses the University of Colorado, The Children’s Hospital of Denver, and University Hospital, along with numerous commercial bioscience companies and other businesses. This is a huge and advancing complex of

• Academics
• Healthcare
• Business

Jobs in this expanding and growing bioscience park are expected to continue to develop within the coming decades and throughout the century. The hospitals completed build-outs in 2008, and commercial businesses will continue build-outs though 2027.

People that have a science degree or commercial lab experience might try for an internship somewhere in the park for experience to put toward bioscience careers.

Students with science and technical backgrounds boosted by internships are excellent candidates for research and development positions in the private sector as well. The bioscience park complex offers entry-level jobs in lab tech, manufacturing, and quality assurance (QA).

Wages for a medical and clinical lab techs averaged $16.37/hour in 2007, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

In bioscience, job seekers must have skills in the essential areas of communication and teamwork as well as the biological sciences, engineering, and related fields. Most employers are looking for these interactive skills in job candidates.

Not a Science Person?

Non-science job seekers are also needed at Colorado Bioscience Park. For instance, Gambro BCT looks for entry-level assemblers for work in a clean room (e.g., no dust) to produce sets for Gambro’s machines. There is more hiring to be done at Gambro in IT, customer service, sales, and other important areas.

Changing Careers?

Colorado Bioscience Park is also good for career-changers. Computer science and other IT-related professionals with experience help the various park researchers with database management, new drug design and development, and several additional, vital functions.

Top job candidates in the park have science backgrounds and/or a certificates in biotechnologies.

The Community College of Aurora, Colorado offers such a two-year certificate near the park. Job seekers can complete this program or take a few science courses to add to their resumes and enhance their chances for hire.

• Buckley Air Force Base - Space, Health, National Guard; 460th Space Wing 460th Medical Group 140th Wing Colorado Air National Guard.
• Honeywell: A Fortune 100 company that invents and manufactures technologies for global megatrends like safety, security, and energy.
• Lockheed Martin: An advanced technology company formed in March 1995 with the merger of two of the world's premier tech companies, Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta Corporation. HQ in Bethesda, Maryland.
• Pioneer Astronautics: VoyagerSpace.com - StarLab partnership of Voyager and AirBus
• Western Aero: Western Aero offers aircraft parts, aircraft repair, and aircraft maintenance for 707, AWACS, JSTARS, KC-10, KC-135, 727, 737, 747, DC-10 aircraft.

Businesses Growing Since the Great Recession:

1. Broadcasting and telecommunications
2. Aviation and computer hardware manufacturing

Jobs Maintaining Stability:

1. Mortician
2. Tax Collector
3. Construction Worker,
4. Waste Disposal Manager

Growing Health and Medical Jobs:

1. Nursing: NP, RN, LPN
2. Physician Assistant
3. Bioengineer
4. Prosthetics
5. Nutrition
6. Personal Trainers and Health Club Managers

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Colorado Government News Releases.

1. Registered Nurses: Licensed RNs, including Travel Nurses
2. Software Engineers and Project Managers: IT, biotechnologies, aerospace technologies
3. Other Nursing Jobs: RN Specialties; LPN, LVN, technologies; NPs
4. Administrative Assistants
5. Dental Assistants
6. Managers and Assistant Managers
7. Retail Salespeople and Managers: Includes biotechnology products.
8. Java and .net Developers
9. Business Analysts
10. Occupational and Physical Therapists and Aides

Source: Author tracking of largest successful job search engines Glassdoor, SimplyHired, and Indeed.

1. Truck Drivers and Delivery People
2. Retail and Wholesale Workers, all levels
3. Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants
4. Business Operations Professionals
5. Cooks and Combined Food Prep and Serving Workers
6. Oral Surgeons and Physicians
7. Network Systems and Data Analysts and IT Managers
8. Project Engineers, IT and others
9. Pharmacy Technicians
10. Software Developers
11. Home Health Aides
12. Construction Workers and Supervisors

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Colorado State Government Statistics

• Colorado State Government Statistics
• Forbes business and employment releases
• Glassdoor
• Indeed
• SimplyHired
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics