Training and Workforce Development

The Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) provides leadership and support to enhance the US laboratory workforce through initiatives that strengthen recruitment, retention, continuing education, and training. DLS’ training resources help laboratory and testing professionals in clinical and public health settings combat emerging threats and stay current with the newest practices, standards, and technologies. DLS also develops frameworks, models, and resources that support laboratory-related competencies for practicing laboratory professionals and participants in laboratory fellowships and internships.

Our Services

DLS develops and disseminates a growing inventory of free educational and training resources that help laboratories continually improve. This includes eLearning and virtual reality courses, training of trainers programs, toolkits, job aids, webinars, and print materials. DLS also supports a growing community of practice amongst laboratory professionals, provides resources to partners on training and workforce development activities, and brings partners together to identify and address laboratory workforce issues at the national level.

OneLab Initiative

  • Bridge, train, and sustain a capacity-building community among clinical and public health laboratory professionals to support rapid, large-scale responses to public health emergencies.
  • Assess OneLab Network members’ training needs.
  • Host webinars and summits that address the training needs of clinical and public health laboratory training and education professionals.

Training and Educational Materials

  • Provide competency-building content across nearly 100 laboratory topics to help keep clinical and public health laboratory professionals proficient in areas such as essential laboratory methodologies, new test procedures, informatics, and quality and safety topics.
  • Apply instructional design support and knowledge of adult learning best practices to develop and assess effective training products to maintain a competent, prepared, and sustainable national laboratory workforce.
  • Design innovative, comprehensive, and convenient training products including eLearning courses, training of trainers programs, and webinars focused on diagnostic testing, preparedness, informatics, quality, safety, and packing and shipping of dangerous goods.
  • Develop virtual reality training that allow laboratory professionals to apply, assess, and improve their skills in a safe and controlled learning environment.
  • Develop job aids to assist clinical and public health laboratory professionals with diagnostic testing, preparedness, informatics, quality, safety, and packing and shipping of dangerous goods.
  • Provide laboratory training eLearning syndication for organizations to syndicate CDC laboratory eLearning courses to their learning management systems.
  • Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of public health laboratory education and training, including measuring the outcomes of transferring knowledge and skills to improved laboratory practice.

Workforce Development

Our Impact

Over 80,000

Registrations per year across all learning platforms (OneLab REACH, CDC TRAIN, STEAM, etc.)

Over 80,000

Registrations per year across all learning platforms (OneLab REACH, CDC TRAIN, STEAM, etc.)

Over 2,500

OneLab Network members

Over 2,500

OneLab Network members

Over 100

Training resources available on OneLab REACH, with more to come

Over 100

Training resources available on OneLab REACH, with more to come

Over 3,000

Expected fellowship and internship opportunities to expand the public health laboratory workforce pipeline through APHL-CDC’s Career Pathways in Public Health Laboratory Science Program

Over 3,000

Expected fellowship and internship opportunities to expand the public health laboratory workforce pipeline through APHL-CDC’s Career Pathways in Public Health Laboratory Science Program

Over 4,000

Learners completed the
Ready? Set? Test! eLearning course on preparing and performing waived testing per year

Over 4,000

Learners completed the
Ready? Set? Test! eLearning course on preparing and performing waived testing per year

Over 25,000

P.A.C.E.® certificates awarded to clinical and public health laboratory professionals each year on average

Over 25,000

P.A.C.E.® certificates awarded to clinical and public health laboratory professionals each year on average