Pitt's Greater Hazelwood Neighborhood Commitment is launching a new Life Sciences Bridge Program, a paid 50-hour skills building work experience designed to prepare 18- to 24-year-olds without a college degree who are facing employment barriers for entry level careers in the life sciences! This is an opportunity for Greater Hazelwood residents to prepare for the emerging Life Sciences sector on Hazelwood Green as evident by Pitt's BioForge.
Priority will be given to applicants from Greater Hazelwood. If spaces remain, recruitment will expand to Pitt’s other Neighborhood Commitments including Homewood, the Hill District, and Oakland.
Participants will be paid ($22/hour or $1,100) while learning in a small cohort of 12 individuals. You'll gain hands-on skills, receive ongoing career guidance and access to the resources you need to show up and succeed. By launching this program, we aim to build job readiness and increase belonging in the field of life sciences.
This video was created in partnership with Pitt’s Center for Teaching and Learning, with voiceover narration by Hazelwood resident and Hazelwood Café owner, Dasawn Gray.
DCS is responsible for designing and delivering the curriculum as well as managing the distribution of participant stipends.
DCS’s vision is to utilize community economic development, servant leadership, and management practices to build next-generation organizations and leaders. Their team advances diversity, inclusion, and equity while empowering clients to leverage resources and engage talent. Clients are empowered to use innovative approaches for change, drive collective success, and demonstrate traits found in the community’s culture they desire to engage.
Catapult will provide resources including but not limited to childcare, transportation, housing stability, and food insecurity. We will work with you to identify your barriers and help to remove them!
Catapult engages in emergency resource distribution, peer-to-peer support, wealth building, trauma-informed financial counseling, and policy advocacy to ensure systematically disenfranchised communities can meaningfully achieve economic justice and lead dignified and equitable lives.
ESC will be a dedicated career counselor supporting Bridge Program participants in exploring and identifying their next steps in the life sciences field or sub-sectors.
ESC empowers mission-driven leaders to accelerate development, expand networks, and embed human- and community-centered practices across STEM research and wearable technology. Through targeted recruitment, rigorous education, and strategic support, they help turn complex challenges into actionable solutions.
Cohort #1 will take place: February to April, 2026
Schedule: Our program schedule is being finalized and will be released at a later date.
Location: Greater Hazelwood
Catalyst Connection, in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Engagement and Community Affairs, conducted an analysis of non-degree training programs in Allegheny County for high-demand jobs in the life sciences sector.
The Pathways in Life Sciences Report outlines key findings, identifies programming gaps, and offers recommendations to strengthen the region’s life sciences talent pathway.
The Life Sciences Bridge Program logo was designed by Hazelwood resident, Carly Pison.
Funding is generously provided by The Heinz Endowments.
