These 54 Community Colleges Created, Expanded Semiconductor Workforce Programs

Semiconductors are America’s new growth industry, and 54 community colleges across 19 states have taken advantage of new investments to create or expand programs in the industry.

Congress passed the CHIPS Act in August 2022, marking a nearly $53 billion investment in U.S. semiconductor education, research, and manufacturing. A year later, two-year colleges have made their own investments in educating a new line of semiconductor technicians, as many jobs in the semiconductor space do not require a four-year degree.

A White House spokesperson shared with BestColleges a list of community colleges that have announced expanded or new programming to support opportunities in the semiconductor industry since August 2022:

Community colleges will likely continue to be a focal point in the push to add semiconductor jobs.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stressed the importance of these institutions during a congressional hearing in September centered on semiconductor manufacturing and research.

“The workforce is something that I worry about,” Raimondo said. “There is a need for the industry to have 100,000 semiconductor technicians. That number is going to go up to about 300,000 pretty quickly. Technicians don’t need a four-year college degree. The community college is a perfect training ground.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced the incoming board of trustees that will oversee the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The department describes the NSTC as the core research and development component of its CHIPS for America program.

“The NSTC is going to supercharge chip technology and innovation ecosystems across the country so that cutting-edge developments in semiconductor design and manufacturing happen here in the U.S.,” Raimondo said in a statement.

Intel, a leader in semiconductor manufacturing and research, partnered with community colleges in Ohio as it builds new semiconductor plants in the state. Intel plans to invest roughly $100 million over the next 10 years to train workers in partnerships with colleges and universities in Ohio, BestColleges previously reported.

According to Columbus State Community College, most of Intel’s incoming semiconductor jobs only require an associate degree.