In summary
The SEMI Foundation has sought to increase semiconductor jobs in California through conferences, grants and other mechanisms.
Abigail Nguyen, who had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, noticed a number of job openings at semiconductor companies in the Bay Area.
But as a recent graduate from UC Berkeley, she wasn’t confident about applying to these companies because she thought she had knowledge gaps that would prevent her from landing a job in the industry.
But then a friend convinced her to attend the SEMICON West conference in San Francisco, which is free for students.
Nguyen met people in the industry with a chemical engineering background and realized he could potentially pursue a career in the semiconductor industry.
“This experience has changed my perception of the industry and shown me what it takes to be successful in it,” Nguyen says. “There’s a lot you can do, so if you’re confident, willing to learn new things and take on challenges, this is the industry for you.” She is currently applying for jobs in the industry as a process engineer.
It’s a success story that California semiconductor companies, academic institutions and public agencies hope to replicate thousands of times to meet the sector’s burgeoning worker demand through hiring events, increased outreach and new apprenticeship programs.
The increased demand is due in part to federal legislation passed in 2022 aimed at boosting semiconductor research, development and production in the U.S. Despite California being the birthplace of semiconductor technology, the U.S. currently produces only about 10% of the world’s semiconductor supply.
Opportunities are particularly plentiful in California, where the semiconductor industry employs more than 63,000 people. California has the most semiconductor factories, with about 627, and annual semiconductor exports of about $10.2 billion.
“Semiconductors were born in California, and California has led the nation in all things semiconductor-related for the past several decades,” said Derek Kirk, senior economic policy adviser for the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “We are bullish on the semiconductor industry.”
The SEMI Foundation, the nonprofit arm of semiconductor and microelectronics trade association SEMI, has launched several initiatives in recent years, including SEMICON West, aimed at creating new pipelines into the workforce, but one of the first hurdles is awareness of the industry and the career opportunities it offers.
“Semiconductors are essential to so much of our everyday technology, and yet, in a way, we can’t see them,” says Shari Liss, executive director of the SEMI Foundation, who often explains this to students glued to their phones without ever thinking about chip design.
The SEMI Foundation leads workforce development programs and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts with more than 3,000 semiconductor companies worldwide. Currently, the Foundation is awarding multiple grants for workforce development activities in California, supporting customized training, registered apprenticeships and other “learn while you earn” models.
The SEMI Foundation launched the SEMI Career and Apprenticeship Network last fall with multiple partners across the country. In California, the James Irvine Foundation is providing a three-year, $1.7 million grant to help the SEMI Foundation serve as a liaison for registered apprenticeship programs, specifically working with community-based organizations to raise awareness and awareness.
When Foothill College received a grant from the state-funded California Apprenticeship Initiative, it turned to the SEMI Foundation to help with curriculum development and project management, as well as employer outreach. Through the grant, the SEMI Foundation and partners helped launch California’s first registered apprenticeship program for the semiconductor industry, which means that apprentices meet U.S. Department of Labor standards for the amount of time they spend in classroom learning and on-the-job training.
The program provides customized training through community colleges to teach workers the specialized skills they need to succeed in high-demand microelectronics jobs. Of the first 11 apprentices who joined the program last fall, about half were women.
A two-year, $4.6 million grant through the state-funded High Road Training Partnership Initiative will support additional customized training, and the SEMI Foundation is working with companies such as Applied Materials and Western Digital to better understand the technical and soft skills needed to successfully enter industry, as well as the upskilling needed to continue advancing in their careers.
“Semiconductors were born in California, and California has led the nation in all things semiconductor-related for the past several decades.”
Derek Kirk, Senior Economic Policy Advisor, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development
Liss said apprenticeships are a relatively new concept in the U.S. semiconductor industry: As semiconductor manufacturing moved overseas several years ago, entry-level jobs moved with it, where there was no emphasis on training new engineers.
Currently, the U.S. semiconductor industry workforce is predominantly white and approximately 75% male, with one-third of the workforce over the age of 55.
“What’s changing now is that as we see more reinvestment in manufacturing, we’re seeing pathways out of community college, pathways through apprenticeships, pathways into new entry-level roles,” Liss said. “We want to diversify that talent pipeline.”
Apprenticeships are important because they get trainee employees paid as soon as they start the program.
“That’s going to be a really nice, fair path for people,” Liss said.
Infinera Corporation, a San Jose-based manufacturer of optical communications semiconductors, is a founding member of the foundation’s Registered Apprenticeship Program. Infinera helped create a joint curriculum that multiple companies and community colleges use to train apprentices. To date, five apprentices have been trained by Infinera.
“If we were trying to do it ourselves, it would have taken us much longer to make all the connections we needed to make it work,” said Kim Ellis-Krissan, vice president of government affairs for Infinera Corp. “Filling the gap in having the right workforce here is really important to us.”
Rising investment in semiconductors and a path to entry into the industry are some of the things that give Nguyen confidence in his search for work.
“The U.S. has been a little more stable compared to other industries, like technology, which are a lot more volatile and have had mass layoffs,” Nguyen said. The semiconductor industry is growing and companies are planning to manufacture in the U.S. “That’s great for me and gives me peace of mind to pursue and hopefully stay in this industry.”
Financial support for this story was provided by the Smidt Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation.
