The National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with the Department of Commerce (DoC) to build out a network that will train skilled workers for good-paying jobs needed in the semiconductor and microelectronics industry over the next decade.
Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director of NSF’s Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships Directorate said during a CSIS event on Oct. 17 that everyone recognizes workforce development as a “fundamental challenge.”
“How do we ensure that we are training talent at all levels for the myriad job types that are out there – not just researchers, but practitioners and advanced technicians as well,” Gianchandani said. “How do we train the talent that we’re going to need in order to be able to carry forward the work that needs to happen in fabs and beyond all across this country?”
Last month, NSF and DoC announced a $30 million funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to establish the Network Coordination Hub that will manage the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME) and lead its national strategy to train workers in the semiconductor industry.
NSF and DoC will select an institution of higher education, nonprofit organization, or a group of those to establish and operate the Network Coordination Hub. The hub will be responsible for coordinating a coalition of regional consortia – each with its own programs and centers – to offer consistent, rigorous, engaging curricula, instructional materials, experiential opportunities, teacher professional development, and more throughout the U.S.
“How do we orchestrate this at a national level? There’s a little bit of top-down nature to this and making sure that we’re deploying assets that we have because they’re precious and few and limited into the right locations, but at the same time also ensuring that you can participate as part of semiconductor ecosystem, even if you don’t have a fab in your backyard,” Gianchandani said. “This is an effort where we’re hoping to have a coordination hub and then a set of regional nodes across the country.”
He continued, “We have lots of curriculum already. We have lots of instructional material. How do we scale that? How do we deploy that? How do we attract talent from all different backgrounds to become a part of this ecosystem and they become a part of the virtuous cycle that we’re talking about and that we need?”
NSF will lead the solicitation process and serve as the primary Federal manager of the Network Coordination Hub, working with the hub to establish regional nodes and other activities that will form the network. As specified in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the NNME is envisioned as an up to $200 million investment in the next generation of talent, spanning the full range of jobs and levels necessary for the long-term success of the U.S. semiconductor and microelectronics industry.
CHIPS for America has allocated more than $35 billion in proposed funding across 16 states and proposed to invest billions more in research and innovation, which is expected to create over 115,000 jobs.
Applications to establish the NNME will close on Oct. 28.
