Dive Brief:
- The Biden-Harris administration announced the launch of the National Science and Technology Council’s workforce center last week to address labor development challenges in the U.S. semiconductor industry, according to a Sept. 25 press release.
- The government will invest $250 million over ten years, which includes $11.5 million in seven different grant awards to education and technological institutions across the nation.
- The center aims to fill job and skill gaps across semiconductor research, design, manufacturing and production, the release stated.
Dive Insight:
The Workforce Center of Excellence will be led by John Ratliff, executive director of the center and VP at nonprofit Natcast, according to the release. The center plans to serve as an interconnected and neutral third party that leverages data to focus on improving workforce access.
There will be three inaugural programs within the WCoE, each aimed at reshaping the semiconductor workforce ecosystem. The Amplifier Program will focus on creating equitable, worker-centered development practices that offer jobs with fair wages and the choice to join a union.
The Signals program will use data and research to track workforce trends and provide insights on talent supply and demand.
Thirdly, the Connections program will provide member services, tailored events and support to meet the specific needs of NSTC member organizations.
Among the seven awardees, the University of Illinois and the University of California, Los Angeles, will receive $2 million each. In Arizona, the Maricopa County Community College District will use about $1.8 million in funding to expand its semiconductor technician training and launch a program dedicated to preparing an additional 300 individuals for semiconductor technician careers in Arizona’s booming semiconductor industry.
The seven awardees include:
- American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation: $1.7 million
- Idaho Technology Council: $1.2 million
- Maricopa County Community College District
- Rochester Institute of Technology: 1.5 million
- Texas A&M University: $1.3 million
- University of California, Los Angeles: $2 million
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: $2 million
Also among the seven institutions, the American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation received $1.7 million in funding to partner with one of the nine workforce hubs created by the Investing in America Act.
Upstate New York’s workforce hub, which launched this summer, is working with AFTEF to help students prepare for technical careers in the semiconductor industry, a prominent sector in the state. The funding will help fill the workforce gap for two major chip projects — Micron Technology in Clay and GlobalFoundries in Malta — which both received billions of dollars in CHIPS and Science Act grants this year.
The White House has proposed $500 million in workforce efforts so far as many manufacturing industries, including semiconductors, face a skills gap. For the third year in a row, talent risk was cited as the biggest issue facing the chip industry over the next three years, according to KPMG’s 2024 Global Semiconductor Industry Outlook.
In July, the administration also invested $244 million to help modernize, diversify and expand the federal Registered Apprenticeship system in growing U.S. industries.
