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Sheldon ISD to Offer Dual‑credit Biomanufacturing Pathway with San Jacinto College
Summary
San Jacinto College representatives described on a Sheldon ISD workshop night a new biomanufacturing training partnership that will let high school students earn a 15‑credit occupational certificate and stackable credentials that can lead into a two‑year Associate of Applied Science degree.
San Jacinto College representatives described on a Sheldon ISD workshop night a new biomanufacturing training partnership that will let high school students earn a 15‑credit occupational certificate and stackable credentials that can lead into a two‑year Associate of Applied Science degree.
The program will be delivered through San Jacinto’s Generation Park campus and integrated with Sheldon ISD’s P‑TECH dual credit pathway. “Students are gonna have an opportunity, really, that no 1 else is gonna have across this country,” said Jasper Dokes, provost for San Jacinto’s Generation Park campus and San Jac Online.
Why it matters: district officials said the certificate would allow seniors to graduate with industry‑recognized training and a NIBRT (National Institute of Bioprocessing Research and Training)–aligned credential, potentially positioning them for entry‑level jobs in therapeutic and cell‑therapy manufacturing. San Jacinto representatives said employers in the region have signaled ongoing hiring for technicians as the Houston area expands its biomanufacturing capacity.
San Jacinto outlined the credential structure: a 15‑credit occupational certificate delivered over two semesters, stackable into an associate degree that can save students roughly a year of college time. Dokes said the Generation Park training facility is nearly ready and that a grand opening is expected in early fall. The college also emphasized employer involvement through an industry advisory committee and said students who complete the certificate will receive a globally recognized NIBRT stamp of approval.
District staff said the partnership will be routed through existing CTE and dual‑credit procedures. One specific local step: staff told trustees the board must approve a college course—Quality Assurance for Biosciences—as an Innovative Course on the high school transcript so that the college credits will appear correctly in students’ high school records. That item is on the board’s May 20 agenda as an action item.
Board members asked about student recruitment, internships and costs. District staff said approximately 14 students have expressed firm interest; about 86% of the initial cohort qualify for the San Jac FAST scholarship, which the district said would cover tuition, leaving Sheldon ISD to provide books and instructional resources in line with typical dual‑credit arrangements. San Jacinto staff said industry partners help identify internship opportunities and that hands‑on training on equipment—sometimes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars—will be a key part of employability.
What’s next: the board will consider the Innovative Course approval and the curriculum pathway at its upcoming meeting; if approved, district staff said an application and interview process through San Jacinto will be used to select the first cohort.
The presentation included a request that the board review and approve the transcript/course alignment so students can earn both high‑school and college credit toward the occupational certificate and the associate degree.
