In Phoenix, Arizona, residents are signing up in droves to learn about semiconductor chips.
Last year, three community colleges in the state's Maricopa County launched the Quick Start program, a 10-day crash course on how to be a semiconductor processing technician. The program is the product of a partnership between the schools and major semiconductor companies — the latter have raised alarms about a lack of skilled workers to staff the tens of thousands of industry jobs expected to be created in the US over the next decade. Many of these jobs are set to arrive in Arizona, the nation's leader in semiconductor investment, where companies are spending billions to manufacture the chips that power everything from iPhones to washing machines to military equipment
While the industry is expected to hire for a wide range of roles, including engineers and computer scientists, entry-level semiconductor technicians require less education and work experience. Technicians, whose pay starts at between $20 and $25 per hour, according to the program's website, aid the manufacturing process by operating, inspecting, and troubleshooting various equipment.
Since kicking off in July of last year, over 3,000 people have passed the program's online pre-test, which was temporarily closed in March due to excess demand before being reopened in September. As of October, nearly 900 students have enrolled in the program, over 700 have successfully completed it, and roughly 300 are on a waitlist. Nearly two-thirds of students have been people of color, and half have been first-generation college students.
I visited Quick Start's Mesa Community College program for three days in September and observed classes to learn why people enrolled, what they learn in the classes, and whether the program is truly a pipeline to employment in the semiconductor industry.