Community Colleges Put New Workers Into Semiconductor Jobs Fast

The U.S. semiconductor industry is booming but industry watchers fear the country’s workforce is unprepared. By 2030, investments in manufacturing, design, materials, and packaging facilities in the United States will create demand for 189,000 new full-time semiconductor jobs. But the supply of such workers will only reach about 62,000 people, the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME) estimated in July. “The US is facing a critical shortage of workers for the semiconductor industry,” says Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza , president of West Valley College in Saratoga, California. “Rebuilding this workforce is not optional.” “Community colleges are the gateway,” says Leah Palmer, Executive Director of the Arizona Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Maricopa Community Colleges (MCC),