SEMI Scales Up Workforce Programs as U.S. Talent Gap Nears 200,000

When SEMI asks member companies what could hold back their growth, the number one answer is talent, Joe Stockunas, president of SEMI Americas, said at the SEMICON West press conference. “Our industry in the U.S. is going to be almost 200,000 people short in the next few years,” added Shari Liss, SEMI’s vice president of global workforce development and initiatives.

Much of the U.S. effort runs through the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME), a $200 million, five-year CHIPS-funded initiative with the NSF and Department of Commerce, operated by the SEMI Foundation. Its first four regional nodes bring together more than 325 partners. The SEMI Foundation has also introduced industry-validated credentials, starting with an equipment maintenance technician certification, and its ChipPath career platform now lists about 199,000 job postings, with a new employer dashboard.

SEMI is expanding abroad too, with the India Semiconductor Academy, agreements in Taiwan giving American students hands-on training, a Global Schools Academy and a new Chip the Future Challenge for university students. Liss acknowledged that federal funding is “a drop compared to what we need,” and said closing the gap will take all of industry working together.

Click here to read the full article in the SEMICON West Show Daily.

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