| Abstract: | A plenary discussion session on  Biotechnology education and training programs at the Xth International Conference on The global Impacts of Applied Microbiology in 1995 gave an opportunity to identify current priorities for biotechnology in developing countries. The discussion focused on three major areas: the nature of the skills required; education and training for the various categories of staff; the role of the scientific community in informing the decision makers about biotechnology and its prospects. Comparable discussions are taking place in Europe and elsewhere in the industrialized world. They are exemplified by developments arising from a White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness, Employment published by the European Commission in 1993 which included a reinforcement of the work of the European Initiative for Biotechnology Education (EIBE) for teachers in schools. There are also widespread anxieties about the effects of deficiencies in the amount of attention being given to microbiology in undergraduate courses.The author is with the National Centre for Biotechnology Education, The University of Reading. Whiteknights, PO Box 228, Reading RG6 6AJ,UK |
